An Old Mistake
by AnvilBlue
Summary: A shadow has fallen across the lands of Mossflower County and beyond, a vast horde travels with the intention of destroying the world as it is known and only a small group can overcome the evils unleashed. Parts One & Two under severe revisions78k words
1. Part One, Chapter One

An Old Mistake  
  
(Disclaimer: I don't own Redwall, I only own my characters; everything else copyright Brian Jacques)  
  
~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter One~  
  
On a hill far north of Salamandastron stood a mysterious cloaked beast watching as another figure wrapped in a similar cloak ran down a small path through the woods below. A strange little smile flitted across the beast's face as it watched the other run. A trail of tears shimmered in the moonlight as they fell to the dirt below. A little maid, not too far out of dibbunhood, had shed the tears as she ran under the cold moon. She looked up at the moon, as it stood uncaring in the sky, seemingly indifferent to her sobs of pain, of hate, of sorrow.  
  
The figure standing on the hill began speaking in a light feminine voice that didn't carry in the midnight breeze as the maid reminisced about her life while she ran. "Run my child and don't look back. Your life there is dead and gone. Don't stay in the past. Forsake those memories. Forget those possibilities. Run little maid. Run from them." The shadow spoke softly into the night, its eyes watery and strange for the words she had just spoken.  
  
The memories were fresh in the little maid's head. She could see her father, a tall, strong otter second to their skipper of otters, with the dagger, his eyes bleary and unfocused in a drunken stupor. He screamed at her, cursing her existence while he beat her with his fists through her meager protection of a blanket. Tears streamed from her face then as well as now as she trudged along the path in the darkness bound for anywhere, anywhere but there. As she looked back at the village she had come from with its lights glowing dimly in the night, she saw the small hut where she had lived through childhood. She could remember her father's constant mantra well.  
  
"You're a mistake, Ari, you're me biggest drunken mistake. I'm sorry to have ever clapped eyes on ye or yore mangy mother." Her brother would stand by sadly, he was older then her and knew the whole story of how Ari came to be his 'mistake'. It wasn't that she was ugly, cruel or anything that merited being called a mistake.  
  
She wasn't full otter and that was it. She was part ferret though it only really showed in her through her size. Otherwise she looked like an otter with a thick, rudder-like tail and webbed paws for swimming. Her mother had been a ferret maid who'd been captured by the crew. She had been unfortunate enough to be a ferret traveling alone in their area. Unfortunately Ari's drunken father had been assigned guard duty for her. Things had happened during the night. Anyone who knew stayed quiet, silent bystanders to the horrors, and so it was lost to history.  
  
The ferret maid was released soon after. A few months later she came back and was met by the Skipper's wife. The ferret carried as small bundle, clutching it tightly, protecting it from all harm. Jimene, the Skipper's wife, had spoken with the ferret far from their Holt and everything was explained in time. The ferret wanted her child to grow up somewhere good and when Jimene had asked how she expected that to happen it was all revealed.  
  
After the meeting, which was kept very quiet, young Ari was introduced as a little ottermaid Skipper had found and dumped in her biological fathers care. The only beasts in the whole crew that knew the truth were her immediate family and Skipper's family. The rest of the crew took her as a strange but nice little otter. She was a friend to many of the crew's children her age and younger. Her brother had taken care of her, but for now she had to run from her home before the crew would awaken to find the long dead corpse of her father.  
  
"Run away from home, run from your past, but you best run fast my child!" A shadowy figure watched as the small figure disappeared into the woods and ran from her home, never to return. In a flick of the eye the figure was gone, lost in shadows with all the hopes and memories.  
  


* * *

  
Morning found the young maid sleeping under a tree, tears staining her cheeks and the cloak wrapped around her tightly. Rays of light spilled through the canopy of the forest sending brilliant beautiful patterns in the dirt floor. Above, a family of squirrels sat down for breakfast in their home made from a hole dug into the side of the tree. As they ate, they tossed what was left heedlessly out into the forest. One piece of trash, a half eaten apple thrown by a little dibbun, chanced to land upon Ari's head. The impact forcefully stirred her from rest as she bolted up looking around to find herself helplessly lost and afraid. From above she could hear the family of squirrels chattering away.  
  
"Why'd ye throw the apple out Relie, that was perfectly good food!" A motherly voice berated another.  
  
"I dun wanna apple mummy!" A young whiny voice yelled out loudly. A flock of birds flew off from a nearby tree irritated at their slumber being interrupted.  
  
"Uhh . . ." A male voice sighed loudly and soon Ari found the head of a stressed looking squirrel staring down at her from the tree. "Did he hit ye?" The male smiled, but it disappeared when he only got some swift motions of the maid's hands in response. He scrambled down the tree quickly and stood in front of the maid. He looked under her hood and took her for some sort of otter as she shrank back a little. "I ain't gonna hurt you little one. Can you talk?" He reached his paw out and grasped the maid's shoulder as she shook her head and signed a few words with her hands.  
  
"Harold, what're ye doin' down there?" A squirrel mother poked her head out of the tree as well and climbed down with what Ari presumed to be her child Relie.  
  
"Havin' a one-sided conversation Lila . . ." He answered looking at Ari confused as she make a few more gestures and resigned to dig in a small sack she'd left by the tree.  
  
"What are you doing talkin' to vermin, you know they're evil little thieves?" Lila whispered to her husband glaring down at Ari as she dug in her pack. Ari heard this, but made to stay out of it. Jjudging by her father not a great deal of creatures were accepting of the truth.  
  
"Vermin? Are you blind dear? That un's an otter ya know?" He pointed to the thick rudder that poked out from under the maid's cloak.  
  
"Look at 'er face, probably slayed an otter an took their tail so she could fool the likes of you." The squirrel maid whispered angrily. Her little son had taken advantage of his parents being distracted, and he jumped on Ari's tail holding it tightly.  
  
"Me gotta da vermin!" The little squirrel babe cried out excitedly digging his claws into the thick tail as he clung on, a wide smile on his small features.  
  
"Relie! Get off there, that's dangerous!" The squirrel mother began screaming as she ran towards the little ottermaid. Ari stood up and lifted the dibbun up with her tail into the mother's arms. As the mother stood staring at the sight in front of her, Ari had come up with a small pad of paper and a charcoal pencil.  
  
Could you please get him off, his claws are sharp Ari wrote hurriedly wincing in pain as the squirrel hung from her tail swinging. The mother snapped out of her trance and pried her son off giving Ari a sigh of relief.  
  
"Told ya." Harold bushed past his wife and over to the maid who stood rubbing her tail. "My name is Harold, this is my wife Lila and my son Relie."  
  
Ari She wrote and stuck her hand out which Harold shook gently before she continued writing. Could you tell me which way is to the River?   
  
"You mean the River Moss?" She nodded. "It's southeast of here, that way." He pointed out for her.  
  
Thank you She scribbled and thrust the pad and pencil into a pocket sewn on the inside of her cloak.  
  
"You have to go now?" She nodded and closed up her sack. "We should at least let her stay a while." He whispered to his wife as she scolded their son.  
  
"We should." His wife admitted and looked up to find her husband staring at a tree.  
  
"She's gone!" He hurried to where she had been standing to find only an impression of her foot in the earth where Ari had stood and nothing more.  
  
"Wonder what that was about?" The squirrel wife asked softly, cooing to her overexcited babe. "She just took off like she was being chased, not a word."  
  
"Guess she was in a hurry." Harold muttered strangely before turning to his wife with a giant smile upon his tired features. "Told ya it was an otter!" He smiled as his wife shoved him playfully.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. That makes one out of what? A hundred?" She stated smiling softly before retreating into their humble abode giggling loudly with her babe.  
  
"Hey!" Harold shouted before playfully giving into pursuit of his giggling wife already forgetting the day's encounter. 


	2. Part One, Chapter Two

Part One The Last Days Of Summer  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Back at Ari's village the otters were just rising from slumber and beginning their daily routines. Suddenly a piercing scream gathered them in front of the house formerly belonging to Jen. A young ottermaid had gone in to find blood splattered across the floor around the corpse of a large male otter. Jen's son, Aren, sat on a chair in shock, holding a bloodied dagger, staring into the corpse's vacant eyes, mirroring the look. Skipper muscled his way through the crowd with his wife and children clinging onto his tail. Some-where in the background an otter threw up at the sight. Children were hurried away as Skipper looked over the corpse and looked up glaring at Aren  
  
"Who did this Aren? Who killed Ojal" He shook the otter roughly but got no response. Skipper checked around the small home and came back to Aren. "It was her, wasn't it, the little half-breed!" Skipper cursed softly bringing his fist down on the table hard enough to crack it.  
  
"What are ye talkin' about Skip?" A short, young otter asked confused as two others laid a sheet over the slain otter before them.  
  
"Ari, I didn't think the vermin in 'er would come out after all this time, but . . ." Skipper brought his fist down once again breaking the table through. He glared around the room, taking the scene in at a glance.  
  
"What do ye mean Skip?"  
  
"We kept it secret, Ojal and I. Ari was his daughter, not some otter I found. I'm sure you remember that ferret from seasons ago we held 'cause we thought she was a scout for a horde." Skipper's voice cracked.  
  
"What does that have to . . ." An old ottermaid began.  
  
"That was her mother." Skipper cut her off. The crowd broke in murmurs and gasps at this unexpected reply.  
  
"How?" The question was asked repeatedly, but Skipper quieted the crowd.  
  
"It doesn't matter how anymore, but I swear that she will atone for her crimes." With that Skipper stormed out of the home leaving Aren still staring at the corpse of his father as a drop of blood dripped from the keen edge of the blade he held. Oblivious, he was led outside by one of his friends slowly to a fire where the entire village sat in a bitter silence broken only by scattered whispers and the silent drop of the dagger into the sand as Aren went limp into the blissful realm of unconsciousness.  
  
Later when the sun rose high into the sky, beating down on the unprotected fur of the otters, Aren awoke to find himself in bed being tended to by a pretty ottermaid named Anna. Although she thought him uncon-scious she had been talking to him through the morning as she tended to him.  
  
". . . Never would have thought she could do such a thing, she's only half ferret anyway. I feel so confused and . . . Oh. You're awake." She dabbed at his forehead with a cool towel as she sat by his side. "Are you okay?"  
  
"What happened?" He asked rubbing sleep from his eyes, his back cracked slightly as he tried to sit up, but was pressed back down by the ottermaid.  
  
"Your father was murdered. Skipper thinks it was Ari. I don't know what to think. Did you know?" She spoke so fast her words were barely coherent. Her thoughts were scattered, and she had trouble putting anything into words. She'd been a good friend with Ari after all.  
  
"That she's only half otter, yeah I knew. Where is she?"  
  
"Gone. They found tracks leading into the woods going southeast, but nothing else really." She answered and looked towards the woods. The bed sat outside in fresh air so she had an unobstructed view of the nearby forest as well as the oceanfront.  
  
"Where's Skipper?"  
  
"Hunting for her, he said something about her atoning for her crimes." At this statement Aren shot up straight in bed and looked around.  
  
"When?" He asked as he grabbed the maid forcefully.  
  
"A little after sunrise when we found yore dad. He took a dozen of our trackers, too." Anna told him, struggling in his strong grip.  
  
"I have to go, thank you." He said softly and ran off to his house. When he came back he had a small sack and a pair of twin daggers, one splashed with blood.  
  
"Aren, where are you going?" Anna called after him. As he moved towards the woods, he stopped for a moment to speak.  
  
"I have to find her first Anna, she's innocent." With that he broke into a run and disappeared quickly into the densely packed forest. "I'm not." He whispered to himself as he ran faster through the woods dodging through trees and bushes, going southeast.  
  
"I knew it!" Anna told herself excitedly and looked into the woods. "But, then who did it." Confused, she looked over at the small group of otters burying their fallen comrade. She looked back to the forest to find no trace of Aren, only the slight swaying of trees in the light summer breeze.  
  
Meanwhile, Ari walked through the woods. She had never been out into the forests alone before. Her ears perked up at every sound; she had picked up her pace wishing to be someplace where she would be safe. She was rather nervous and luckily the fear gave her the energy to go a long while before she collapsed on a fallen tree that blocked her path. It lay in the middle of a small meadow with several stumps ringing around it. Some beast had taken the trees for a home she presumed. Ari set out what was left of the supplies she had hurriedly grabbed from her home before running.  
  
She could still remember the previous night in her mind, blood dripped off the dagger blade onto the floor, her father lay dead on the floor, his face forever locked in a drunken stupor. She crawled from beneath the beaten blanket that had been her protection. Mere minutes later she was on the run, away into the unknown forests, away from her home. She wished for her brother, he'd always been a pillar of happiness in her life, just him and her scarce friends.  
  
Even with the other otter's not knowing she was a half-breed, she had been treated differently by the Holt and viewed by them as a very peculiar otter. Not so much her appearance, but in her mannerisms. She showed some characteristics that were considered vermin like. Just little things like growls, squeaks and such. She was also quick to anger, which although this was considered a vermin trait, her father had been burdened with it as well, especially while intoxicated.  
  
She sat upon the fallen giant of a tree, thinking about it all. As memories flashed through her head, she tried to focus on the happier memories, Aren and her, while suppressing the unhappy image of he father. She tried to force herself to remember nothing at all munching away on an apple that was long past its prime. She threw away the core and drank deeply from an already half-empty canteen of water nearly draining it.  
  
Her thirst quenched the hungry growls of her stomach, which had begun making itself known to the maid. She hopped off the log and walked on, munching on a piece of slightly stale bread, the hungry growls drowning out the memories. Unknown to her a shadow stalked her from the trees, a watchful set of eyes always on her as she walked on paws. On her stomach, she suddenly stopped. Glancing up to the trees she found nothing. In the foliage she found nothing as well until in the corner of her eye the glint of steel caught her attention.  
  
Cautiously she strode towards it, hands on the small quarterstaff that was her only protection. She pushed through the foliage to find an unwatched pack lying on the ground, a polished sword leaning against it gleaming in the high sun of noon. She knelt by the pack, searching for signs of life, touching it she felt the warmth of the former owner of it, she lifted the sword up to inspect it. Suddenly a rustle in the bushes told her she was most definitely not alone. She dropped the sword in surprise as she felt herself being slammed against a tree and held with force.  
  
"Put it down Vermin!" A voice hissed as a dagger's keen blade dug into the shallow of her back, she could feel the hot breath of her attacker. A brown furred paw grabbed her staff and threw it backwards with a quick movement. "What are you doin' here?" The same voice demanded, digging the blade in further. She remained silent, frustrating the unknown attacker. She peered backwards trying to catch a glimpse of him, she only saw brown furred edges of a beast that she guessed was a squirrel.  
  
"Can't you speak?!" He screamed at her and with a growl of frustration the dagger was removed from her back a second before the handle came down with a sickening crack upon her skull, she crumpled in a motionless heap. The last thing she saw before the black, emptiness of unconsciousness took her was the strong form of an angry looking squirrel with sword drawn and at the ready.  
  
Darkness had fallen over the forest, and the moonlight couldn't make its way through the thick canopy of trees above the small camp in which Ari was bound to a tree. The squirrel that had captured her was a young, brown- furred squirrel who had lived among battles as shown by his scarred features. A small campfire burned at the center of his camp. He sat by the fire watching the bound ferret. As he saw her, he sat sharpening a blade, every so often taking a drink, his eyes always on the ferret.  
  
Out in the darkness of the forest another set of eyes watched him, a short dagger gleamed in the firelight, The squirrel couldn't see the other beast as he was a at his back, at least he didn't notice until sharp steel cut into his neck lightly. A pair of strong arms held him, the blade keeping him silent as a low, husky voice spoke into the frightened squirrel's ears.  
  
"Feel lucky vermin?" 


	3. Part One, Chapter Three

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Three~  
  
Upon the same night that Ari was made to run from her home other events were taking place a short distance from the Holt. A short little battle had been lived out, a battlefield lay torn from its normally serene nature into a giant stain of blood across the earth. Trees were still burning themselves out from fire arrows as other trees stood with bloodied arrows embedded in their bark. Bodies lay strewn haphazardly against trees, in ditches and in small piles that had begun collecting flies. Swords and spears stuck out at crazy angles from the corpses and all was silent. Lizards and birds had abandoned their homes in flight from the chaos of the battle. Amidst the bodies lay the bloodied body of a ferret; flies crawled over his blood soaked paws.  
  
Several arrows stuck out from his arms, the coldness of his body and the paleness of his complexion giving away that this was a long dead beast. But inside his heart beat on slowly. Eventually at the crack of a tree as it gave its last sigh before crashing onto the ground onto the dead body of a rat, with several arrows through his skull, the ferret stirred. As his mind rose from the hell of nightmares he found blinding pain awaiting him, his back burned from the cuts. He let out a scream of pain before collapsing back down, panting and slowly, but surely gaining control of his muscles that suffered constant spasms of pain.  
  
Using what remained of his strength he propped himself up against the fallen tree ripping the arrows from his arms and throwing them into the forest. He felt no emotions other then the pain and agony that wracked his body. He began crawling towards a vixen he instinctually knew to be a healer. On all fours he dragged himself over corpses and broken weapons to the vixen.  
  
She lay dead in the dirt, a spear through her sides. The ferret slowly removed bandages from her pack wrapping his arms and body. He pinned the bandages with pine needles and sealed them with mud, hoping it would hold long enough. The pain began to die off as the bloods ebb stopped under the pressure of the bandages. He sat back against a tree exhausted. He let unconsciousness take him once again and felt himself fall into the dreams and nightmares once more.  
  


* * *

  
The ferret awoke with a start; horrid nightmares had plagued his rest. Broken images swirled around in his head. He could se the steel-whip lash across a mouse's neck, snapping it as blood spurted from the wound onto the ground. The ground was slippery with blood; he saw it all in slow motion, the whip as it drew across the mouse's neck, the individual drops of blood as the spread onto the already blood stained floor. At the thought the ferret vomited to his side and collapsed into his own foul smelling mess.  
  
"Who was that? Wait!" He thought to himself, eyes closed, they opened again in shock, disbelief in the ferret's eyes, "Who am I?" The ferret drew only a blank at the question; he rolled away from the mess and felt something metal on his side dig in. He sat up again and as he took it from his side, a small dagger came into his view, a name emblazoned upon its silver hilt.  
  
"Kylin." He read aloud. He figured it was his name and looked at the dagger seeing no blood spilt upon its keen edge. It was spotless and polished, unlike its scabbard, which still hung at his waste. Looking down at his blood and vomit stained clothes he saw himself. He wore a black vest and grayed pants held up by a sword belt, the sword scabbard hung off the belt empty. He got up unsteadily and began searching the battlefield; he rolled over bodies to check them only to find that he was the only beast alive in the meadow and he found no memories stir at the sight of the dead beasts.  
  
"Why?" He looked around at the bloodied bodies. Did they have families that didn't know what had happened to them; had he killed some of them. He had only questions swirling in his mind and he pushed over the body of a fox to find his eyes gone from their sockets and still another dead beast. Kylin shuddered at the sight of the empty sockets so he quickly covered the fox with his own cloak. A sword through the fox's chest was holding it down. This caught his eye and as he pulled it out of the fox to look at it, he found the same name emblazoned onto the hilt, 'Kylin.'  
  
He had killed the fox. He looked at the sightless sockets and shuddered, wondering what kind of beast he had been. No memories presented themselves and he could only feel remorse for the possibilities, the fox could have been a parent, now a child was fatherless thanks to him. He buried the thoughts and let the blade drop to the ground; it stuck up through the earth. It was an old life; perhaps this was a blessing for the ferret, an opportunity to start anew, to have a better life.  
  
With a last glance at the bloodied meadow the ferret disappeared through the woods taking only the unstained dagger with him, discarding the scabbard and the sword with his past life. The sun began to rise higher in the sky as he dodged through the forest a single memory played itself in the ferret's mind. That of the mouse and the whip and the drops as they fell on the floor, forever staining it. A small voice in the back of his mind, unknown to his conscious mind laughed at the mouse's death and the ferret's naivety.  
  


* * *

  
Kylin wandered almost aimlessly through the forest walking away from the sun as it rose in the morning hours. He looked around at the greenery with a careful eye; none of it was familiar to him, though he vaguely recalled the chamber in which he had seen the mouse's murder. It was in a great castle, where he did not know, and what it was there for he knew not either. At about noon he felt the first true pangs of hunger. He tried to ignore them, but settled for eating off the land - insects, plants and the like were abundant to him. Later he rested. All the while traveling in silence, no one to converse with he was left to talk with himself, but all he had were the questions.  
  
"Who had I been?" Was among his questions along with many others, but after seeing the empty sockets of the fox, lying dead in a puddle of blood with sword through his chest, he wasn't even sure he really wanted to know. Suddenly an upraised tree root snared his foot paw, pulling him to the ground as it had done to other unsuspecting travelers. Kylin simply lay on the ground, his questions dancing about in his mind, each of them awaiting an answer that would never come.  
  
"This sucks." He muttered aloud to nobeast in particular. "Well, might as well get up." One part of his mind said while another one simply asked, "What's the point?" It was a good question for the ferret - where was he going anyway. He rolled over to find a footprint. He glanced at it only to find a trail of footprints, similar to his own in shape, leading slightly south of where he'd been heading.  
  
"That's what I need." He said excitedly getting up. Jogging along the trail of footprints, he knew what he needed. He needed another person, anybeast, it didn't matter whom. He just needed another soul to be with him. He ran along the trail, which followed a distinct path through the forest, well into the evening before it suddenly disappeared, replaced by the prints of another beast.  
  
"A squirrel." Some part of his mind hissed in disgust. He followed the path cautiously through the sunset until he came upon the flickering flames of a campfire. Approaching with the utmost care to be silent he rounded the camp taking in the scene. The maker of the original footprints, who he now saw was a pretty little ferret maid, was bound to a tree roughly. She looked unconscious while her captor, an able bodied squirrel sharpened a blade. He paused to take a drink.  
  
"Shan't live too much longer vermin." The squirrel muttered, glee leaking into his voice as he took a long drink of water, his eyes always on his captive. Kylin made his move. Silently he crept up behind the squirrel and grabbed his body with one arm while his other paw held his dagger up against the squirrel's throat, digging it in enough to cause the squirrel to shake in fright.  
  
"Feel lucky vermin?" He asked, digging he blade in further. The squirrel shook and let his blade fall to the ground and held his arms up above his head in surrender. Kylin pushed him forward onto all fours after kicking his blade a few feet away. The squirrel sat shaking in submission. Kylin looked to the bound maid before kicking the squirrel savagely in the head, knocking him out.  
  
He held the squirrel's head pressing his blade to his throat preparing to end the squirrel in moments when he looked up to find the maid staring at him silently, a look of horror and fright painted on her pretty features. Kylin shuddered visibly under her gaze. "What am I doing?" He thought. He dropped the squirrel and his dagger in the same motion and backed away disgusted as a voice in his head berated him.  
  
"Kill him, he's just lying there helpless you fool! You cannot fail!" As it screamed through his mind, he shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the voice. After a few moments it fell silent, he stooped and picked up his blade before moving to the bound maid. Ari shook visibly. She trembled and closed her eyes, awaiting the worst when suddenly she pitched forward into the ferret's arms as the ropes fell away from her. She stared up into the ferret's face and found something that she hadn't seen in days, the same look her brother had given her the day of the incident.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked, brushing her fur softly with care. She nodded silently and shivered in the cool night air. "Cold?" He placed her against the tree carefully and picked up her cloak wrapping it around her body. She felt warm under its protection and looked up and smiled, silently thanking her savior as he smiled back with satisfaction. He thought she was beautiful, and he picked her up in his strong arms and carried her through the darkness of the forest. He carried her with love, only stopping to sling the two small packs over his shoulders, as they walked through the moonlit forest away from the unconscious squirrel. Ari fell asleep in the arms of her savoir. 


	4. Part One, Chapter Four

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Four~  
  
Around the same time Ari was being rescued, Skipper and his party had set up camp amidst a small clearing in the forest. The had a small fire, a look from their leader kept them silent as he looked at a map, planning their search route. In the brushes watching them was the form of Aren who had caught up when they began to set up their camp. He stayed on the perimeter of the camp watching them, trying to catch anything about their travel plans, sidling up onto a stout tree branch he glanced down at a map.  
  
They were cutting a trail through the forest, partly following the half covered footprints and half making a beeline directly for Redwall. They figured the young maid would seek asylum there after all she had heard of their kind nature and open attitude. Even with the evident stories of how entire vermin hordes had been slaughtered there wouldn't deter her, armed with this knowledge and also from experience with the maid he figured it was a safe bet.  
  
Armed with his twin daggers and his new knowledge Aren climbed down from his perch above the camp, making sure he was not seen. He stealthily crept around the camp and crept along his sister's footprints which shown dimly in the moonlight. He followed Skipper's intended trail, ignoring his body's need for rest, he pushed on through the well-cut trail through the woods. He followed the trail well into the night until the moon began sinking towards the horizon.  
  
Finally his body gave out from under him and he landed half conscious in a heap, all his thoughts on his sister and the previous nights. His thoughts then turned to the mangled corpse of his father, lying dead from a slash of a dagger as he raged on in a drunken stupor. He stood in the doorway of their small home in a frozen stance watching the very still form off his sister as she curled herself up under the protection of a thick blanket she'd received from her best friend, Anna.  
  
He stood there as his father rained blows upon the small, helpless form driven on by some hatred. He cursed her mother, her existence and everything related to her. No one would come to her aid, the houses wall were thick enough to keep down the yelling to where no beast really heard it. Finally Aren snapped out of his trance and grabbed his father's arms in an attempt to wrest him away from Ari. In the short silence that followed he could hear her soft whimpers beneath the blanket.  
  
His father in his rage drew the dagger that he'd always kept at his side and thrust it backwards blindly at his son, luckily missing by a far margin. It did, however, succeed in throwing Aren off him and into the wall; Ojal still fought madly at phantom enemies. He tripped slightly and stopped whirling the blade about carelessly, he stumbled towards the now trembling form of Ari the blade held high in the air.  
  
Ojal turned slightly as Aren barreled into him with a yell, knocking him to the floor. Experience had taught the young otter that his father would normally pass out now, but something horrible had happened. His father had never pulled a blade before in a drunken rage; normally he'd take it off before getting drunk, but this time he'd forgotten.  
  
"Dad." Aren muttered as he found his father unconscious upon the rug floor, he rolled him over to find the blade sunk deep into his gut. Eyes still open in a drunken stupor he laid mumbling nonsense in a quiet voice as blood flowed onto the rug, a dark stain ringed his body. Aren desperately tried to hold the wound closed after removing the blade, thick blood seeped between his paws.  
  
"Aren." He heard the soft whimper of his sister as a piece a paper fell between his legs; he turned to find her standing there groggily, obviously bruised and battered. "What happened?" She asked with a few rapid motions of her paws, looking at the dark stain on the rug. She wasn't old enough to know death, she'd heard about it, but in many ways was ignorant to the topic of death. She stood there eyes open in fright and worry as she looked down at the fallen form of her father.  
  
Aren looked back down to find the blood stopping its flow, seeping out slowly as the body was drained, a struggled breath was heard by the pair as the wound did its work. His last breath taken he lay in his own blood, Aren fell back against the wall clutching the bloodied blade that had taken his father's life. He turned to his sister, a look of horror written upon his features plainly.  
  
"Ari, pack some things and get out of here." He ordered still in a sort of daze at the crime tat lay in front of him, plain as day.  
  
"Why?" She signed to him, obviously confused by her brother's request. "What happened?" She looked down; tears burned her eyes as they fell to join the pool of blood on the floor. She leaned heavily against the chair in which she had lain under the assault of the drunken beast as exhaustion and pain flowed through her body.  
  
"Don't ask why, just run." And so she did, she packed up a few meager possessions before disappearing into the forest, never to return to her home with only a single glance back at what was now her past. Aren just sat, staring at the slain otter in front of him, mouth open in shock he gripped the dagger tightly as blood slowly dried on its keen edge in the light breeze that flowed through the house like a ghost.  
  
In his sleep, Aren spun over in the dirt, his mouth formed words. He apologized to the ghosts, begged forgiveness. It was an accident, a horrible twisted accident and it was his entirely fault, that was why he was here, trying to find and protect his sister. He knew he should have done something earlier, but knowing the chieftain he had done the right thing, as he would find out later.  
  


* * *

  
Aren awoke to the birds singing for the morning's light, he berated himself for letting himself sleep, he wouldn't be satisfied until he knew that his sister was safe. He still wished he hadn't let the blame fall on Ari so fast without a word from himself, he'd been in shock, but that was no excuse. He ate a quick breakfast, just enough to get going before he continued on the path he'd been following in the midnight hours. Eventually he came to small clearing where the paw tracks stop. He found a space where some beast, judging by the paw tracks it was most likely a squirrel, had dropped and then his sister's stopped.  
  
He growled as he thought of the numerous situations his sibling could be in because of him, he prayed the squirrel hadn't killed her right off for looking like a ferret. He followed the new trail with a purpose, hurrying along the tracks without heed for the burning muscles in his legs or their demands for rest, he pushed through bushes until he reached another small clearing to find a young, brown-furred squirrel knocked out unconscious on the ground.  
  
A lump visibly showed on the squirrel, rising up out of his skull and he found a loose pile of rope around a tree, the squirrel was alone and without supplies save for a small dagger and sword he saw reflecting the sunlight, tossed into a bush. Aren walked up to the squirrel cautiously, it was obvious what had happened by the tracks he saw in the dirt. Some other beast had come, knocked the squirrel out and taken his sister, he figured the squirrel had probably been about to kill her as well judging by the brand new edge on the dagger.  
  
"Unhh . . ." The squirrel groaned softly, startled Aren jumped a little before glaring at the now half-conscious squirrel. He rounded the squirrel and grabbed him from behind in a headlock, now fully awake the squirrel kicked out to no avail. "Hey, lemme go!"  
  
"I don't think so." He shoved the squirrel down against the roped tree, holding a dagger up to him; it was the bloodied dagger as well. The squirrel froze in place, shaking slightly.  
  
"Bu . . .bu . . .but yore an o . . .otter, wot d'ye want of me. I didn't do nuttin'." The squirrel shook with fright as Aren pressed the dagger to his neck.  
  
"What did you have tied up?" He asked icily motioning to the ropes.  
  
"A fer . . .ferret." He replied shaking.  
  
"Was it a girl?"  
  
"Ye . . .yes sir." The squirrel pressed himself against the tree hard as if trying to disappear into it.  
  
"Guess what you maggot?" Aren found himself shaking with rage. "That was my sister you held here, were you going to kill her, huh?" He found himself holding up the squirrel by the scruff, threatening him with the keen edge.  
  
"No sir." The squirrel shut his eyes, preparing for the worst. "I thought she was stealin' moi stuff." He shook in the otter's hand, he felt himself hit the ground and then a rope fell about his body.  
  
"Get out of my sight." Aren had closed his eyes, his glowed with a faint red hue beneath their lids, the squirrel needed no second bidding, he ran off like a shot, leaving his weapons and the otter behind.  
  
"Damn it." Aren muttered the curse his father had used so often and began walking along the path of the unknown savoir. They looked a bit like an otter's prints, as well as his sisters, just bigger. He hoped she was all right then he had a thought, what if it was another ferret. Maybe he would take her, kill her enslave her or use her, he froze with the thought of vermin taking his little sister and without heed plunged through the forest on the trail.  
  


* * *

  
Elsewhere Ari and her keeper lay down to rest; she slept on a small pad from the squirrel's stolen pack while he leaned against the tree watching her carefully. He eye wondered along her beautiful form, yet he noticed something somehow foreign about the young maid. Her shape was that of a ferret though parts of her body seemed to be of a different origin, the differences were subtle with the variety of mustelids, but he could see them as well as past them. In the few seconds he'd stared into her eyes he found something quite different from what was left of his memories.  
  
He leaned heavily on the tree, closing his eyes he tried to press the memories, as terrible as they had been he had a strange curiosity about them. His mind however was filled with thoughts about the young maid; being in her presence seemed to have chased the darkness that had clouded his thought far away. He smiled at the thoughts as he slowly drifted into sleep with a smile upon his face and then he saw it in his mind's eye. The mouse and strike of steel, the drops of blood as they fell and then something new to he overly confused mind.  
  
He saw the shadowed face of a ferret, a cruel smile upon his face as he licked blood from the metallic chain, savoring the taste of blood and pain. Admiring the frozen look of horror upon the mouse's dead features, it hung limp in chains blood still dripping from the limp corpse. And then Kylin got a good look at the ferret, it was the same face he'd seen staring back at him from the silver blade of his dagger, but the look of confusion was replaced with the malice and desire for pain.  
  
Kylin awoke with a start, sunlight filtering through the thin canopy of trees above blinding him as he rubbed his eyes furiously. He sat there afterwards watching the maid as she slept on in peace a small smile on her face as she remembered happier times and places. Was she safe with him, he thought as well as, who had I been, what sort of monster. He could taste the bile in his mouth building as his stomach turned with the new wave of memories, no names, just images of the past madness of his life.  
  
As he sat pondering questions of the past and future of his life a shadowy creature stalked through the brush, twin daggers held out in preparation for the worst. Ragged, tired breathing could be heard softly floating on the breeze that flowed through the forest. Kylin lay against the tree again, closing his eyes letting memories flow once more, replaying it over in his mind. A light breeze floated through the forest, stirring a few branches above and then all was silent and still in the trees. 


	5. Part One, Chapter Five

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Five~  
  
Morning broke over the pair, birds sung in the new days light cheerfully. Kylin had since awoken and had begun preparing a meager breakfast from anything he could lay a paw on, one eye always on the sleeping form of the maid. She slept silently as Kylin worked about a small fire, preparing a meager breakfast, never noticing the silent figure the stood in his shadow watching the ferret's every move. Kylin worked quickly taking over a small serving of it on a small plate he'd taken from the stolen pack of the squirrel. He put in down quietly and stepped back to find himself in the strong grip of his stalker.  
  
"Why do you have her vermin?" A voice hissed in his ear as a stained dagger scraped his throat lightly, he stood stock-still. Slowly his paw strayed to the sword in the front of his belt as his assailant repeated his inquiry. "What are you doin' wit 'er?"  
  
"Nothing!" He ducked under the blade against his throat shoving his assailant backwards; he slashed out with the sword narrowly missing the otter, as he now saw.  
  
"Try it again." The otter urged on drawing a second dagger to join his bloodstained dagger. Kylin struck out with his sword and steel met with a resounding clang in the morning air. Using his daggers skillfully the otter shoved the ferret back, forcing him to jump over the still roaring fire. Kylin lay on the other side for a moment, fur singed, anger turning his eyes red.  
  
"You'll pay otter!" He yelled and leapt back up and over the fire to bring his sword down on the otters crossed daggers. Suddenly a dark blur swept up and tackled Kylin into the dirt. Ari sat upon the ferret's chest holding his sword down. Seeing his chance the other otter raised his daggers high into the air for a quick finish, but lowered them at the furious head shaking of Ari. He allowed his daggers to drop onto the earth; a confused Kylin loosened his grip on his weapon letting the maid on top of him slide it away into a pile with the daggers.  
  
"Ari!" The otter called excitedly extending his arms as the silent maid leapt into his arms hugging him lovingly, tears flowing unhindered. They stepped back as they both made furious gestures with their hands, too fast for Kylin to even begin to comprehend. "I'm so happy to see you too!" The otter cried as they fell into each other's arms again, tears falling from both parties. Ari stepped away again making furious gestures to the otter, a few gestured to the bewildered ferret on the ground.  
  
"Am I missing something?" Kylin asked aloud, causing a pause in the rapid communication of Ari and the otter.  
  
"I'm sorry." The otter began almost sheepishly, grinning a bit as a few stray tears ran their course over his face. "My name is Aren, this is my sister Ari." He gestured to the maid Kylin had taken for another ferret, Kylin looked surprised, but a small voice inside told him it was no big deal, she was a pretty little maid.  
  
"Yore sis?" Kylin asked him confused.  
  
"Well . . . half-sister technically, but wot's the difference?" Aren shrugged lightly before continuing, a look of embarrassment spreading over his features. "Er . . . sorry about the fur and the fightin' an' stuff."  
  
"No biggie I suppose." Kylin stood slowly shaking paws with Aren lightly. "I thought she was ferret though, I'd have rescued her anyways . . ." His started awkwardly.  
  
"She's half." Aren stated bluntly as his sister clung to his back lovingly.  
  
"Beg yore pardon?" The ferret asked confused by the indistinct statement Aren had made.  
  
"She's half ferret, her mother was a ferret." He stated bluntly, his left- paw rubbing his sister's head fur gently with affection.  
  
"What? Are you . . ." Kylin began a bit bewildered by this new information, but somehow accepting beneath it all as he looked carefully at the resting maid.  
  
"No, I'm full otter mate." He said gesturing to himself with his free paw. Kylin stared for a moment before the same thought as before reassured him of his feelings toward the beautiful maiden. The voice spoke to him, assuring him that it wasn't that uncommon, not telling why, but it assured the ferret nonetheless.  
  
"So where are ye headed?" Kylin asked as he bent done, sheathing his fallen blade and waited for Aren to do the same. Aren bent and collected his weapons before answering the ferret's inquiry.  
  
"Not sure, just away from the western coasts." He murmured as he trailed off into silence, an awkward silence greeted them and they could hear the soft snores of the sleeping maid as she unconsciously clung to her brother's back.  
  
"Why?" Kylin asked, breaking the uneasy silence. Silent still Aren pulled out his stained blade, holding in the sun's light as it filtered down through the shade giving trees. He paused for a moment watching the sun glitter off the scared dagger before hurling it far into the forest, hopefully never to be found again.  
  
"Come with us mate, I'll tell ye on the way." Aren said with a grin on his face, Kylin stumbled back a bit in surprise before replying to the request and that's what it was, a request. Not a grumbled question, a sincere request. Kylin looked into the otter's eyes and found sincerity within there green depths.  
  
"Sure." He replied in a strange voice, strangled by surprise. It wasn't something the ferret was used to, he wasn't sure why, but it was almost unnerving to him.  
  
"Thanks, I'll tell you on the way. We better be goin' soon though." The otter replied, a nervous twinge in his voice. Kylin looked to the otter, the nervousness contagious as he looked at the otter and his sleeping sibling, a voice inside told him not to get too close, but he ignored it.  
  
"Yes." He nodded in understanding and quickly pack the meager supplies of their camp they began walking hastily through the forest running from Skipper and his band as they pursued with vigor, unknowing of the evil to cross their paths as they head south east to the peaceful counties and hopefully safety. Ahead the roads of destiny awaited their crossing, bringing dead ends and hopeful horizons all in one.  
  


* * *

  
Behind, in hot pursuit came Skipper and his small group of otters. An angry light burned brightly in their leaders eyes as they plunged through the trees on the trail of their treacherous kin. By his side walked his wife, a pretty little otter who was as skilled in the ways of battle as any other otter in her Holt. She looked into her husband's eyes; hesitant to say anything regarding the little maid they were after. Darkness had been creeping up on the group as they followed the disparate trail of paw prints through the winding wood.  
  
"Skip." One of the otters, a thin, but powerful male said in a strong voice.  
  
"What?" Skipper almost hissed as the otter disrupted his thoughts, ahead two otters that were tracking the maid stopped at their leader's voice.  
  
"Shouldn't we find a good place to set up camp?" The otter asked nervously, gesturing to the rapidly descending sun.  
  
"We follow till we can't." Hissed the otter chieftain.  
  
"Yes sir." The otter that had spoken sighed and they continued on at a steady pace. The sun quickly set, barring further progress and Skipper reluctantly gave the order.  
  
"Okay, set up camp mates." He said with a disappointed tone as his troops gave out and collapsed onto the ground in tired heaps, quickly a fire burned in the small clearing they had found.  
  
"Anybeast for some 'otroot soup?" A few cheers were given at this and quickly a bubbling cauldron of the spicy concoction was simmering quietly. Only tow beasts sat away from the fire on a large rock, poking up from the ground, watching the fringes of their camp. Skipper and his wife sat silent, the glare in the chieftain's eyes still very much alive as his wife stared into them apprehensive to say what she knew she must. She swallowed heavily, gathering up the courage to ask.  
  
"Why do you think it was Ari?" She asked only to have her husband turn and glare at her. His eyes burned with a strange emotion, one she had only seen where he faced vermin, the anger and the pure hatred shining in his eyes.  
  
"She ran Jimene; her heritage caught up with her. She knew she didn't belong and it got to her. She murdered by friend and for that, I will kill her." He stated coldly. "I know it was her, never did trust her." He muttered softly and his wife stared at him as his eyes turned to the ground and away from his wife's gaze.  
  
"Think about it, please?" She pleaded with him, but was only met by an awkward silence; slowly she stood and moved to the fire with a fleeting glance at the otter chieftain.  
  
"Did he figure it out yet, Jimene?" An ottermaid next to her asked quietly in no more then a soft whisper.  
  
"Nope. I wish I could get him to think about it." Jimene wished in an identical whisper.  
  
"So, if she didn't who did?" The ottermaid asked as the soup was served around the fire.  
  
"I don't know Merrill. I know it wasn't Ari though." The two maids received their soup and went to sit away from the rest of their otter kin, on the edge of camp opposite the side that their leader sat, watching the forest edge.  
  
"How do you know, she never really said much." Merrill spoke softly even though they were alone, but her comment elicited a cold stare from Jimene.  
  
"Not funny at all." Jimene said coldly.  
  
"Wasn't trying to be, it was a fact." Merrill shrugged off the cold stare and turned her eyes to her food, slowly sipping the spiced soup.  
  
"Her attitude. She was so shy about everything. She second-guessed herself all the time; she couldn't hurt a fly. There ain't any way she did the deed." Jimene muttered before taking a long drink from the soup, swallowing it without a single taste. She felt a bit sick and the soup helped a bit.  
  
"Then who?" Merrill asked, nodding her head in agreement.  
  
"Who knows?" She shrugged lightly before continuing. "Could have been some vermin with a grudge or . . .no, couldn't be that either . . ." She trailed off into an awkward silence with her friend staring at her strangely.  
  
"Couldn't be what?" She asked with confusion in her voice.  
  
"Never mind." She said and finished off her soup quickly, standing up, she moved towards the fire. She stopped suddenly as Merrill grabbed her paw in a strong grip.  
  
"Tell me." She ordered with force in her voice. Jimene sat back down and sighed heavily before she continued what she had been saying.  
  
"Fine. It could have been Aren. You heard the stories, right?" She asked quickly, her eyes upon her husband as she said it. The chieftain had moved to the fire with his eyes on the two maids as they returned the gaze.  
  
"Yeah, all the stuff about Ojal. 'Bout him cursing her for bein' half vermin an' everythin' while he was drunk? Thought he was crazy till Skip told us everythin'." She asked as she kicked the dirt absentmindedly.  
  
"Yep, and Aria thought that she heard somebeast getting' beaten once." Jimene glanced away from the fire as her husband sat at the fire to begin his meal, joking half-heartedly with the other otters.  
  
"She was such a nice lil' maid tho'." Merrill put a comforting paw about her friend's shoulders. "C'mon let's go to fire, it's too cold over here." The turned towards the fire and began moving towards it slowly.  
  
"Yeah let's . . ." She was cut off as suddenly she was grabbed and pulled to ground, she tried to scream, but they were muffled by a paw over her mouth. She struggled and looked over to find her friend in a similar situation, their assailants were masked by shadows  
  
"Hey!" An otter that had been sitting by the fire stood, seeing the predicament the two maids were in, he quickly drew a javelin and peered into the dark, trying to see who was holding them. Soon all of the otters stood, weapons out and at the ready. "Let 'em go or else."  
  
"Drop your weapons or I drop 'er." A gruff voice ordered as blades were pressed close to their vulnerable throats.  
  
"Do it." Skipper ordered and quickly they disarmed, letting javelins and swords fall to the ground in a heap, they stood defeated, sighing heavily as the shadows swirled around them in the forest. The otters could hear them; they knew that they were completely surrounded by the shadow beasts by the snapping of branches and the faint glow of the fire glinting off metal.  
  
"Now we talk." The shadow said and stepped forward into the light, dragging the maid with him, his dagger cutting into her throat. 


	6. Part One, Chapter Six

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Six~  
  
Kylin had taken charge of the small group and they followed, taking turns carrying the peacefully sleeping maid as they made their way southeast. At present Kylin was carrying the young maid with great care, a smile on his face a he talked to the young otter by his side. In the day that they had known each other they had grown to respect each other as brothers and were fast friends.  
  
"So then what happened?" He asked giggling softly at the young otter's story.  
  
"So then he jumped up from the water and scared 'er half to death. You should have been there to see 'er face when he did it. It was hilarious!" The young otter told as he struggled through barely suppressed laughs, Kylin laughed softly smiling at the otter with a strange sense of care. It was like a little brother, he was enjoying the feeling of the responsibility.  
  
"I'm sure." Kylin chuckled softly and then felt a light tapping on his shoulder, stopping he glanced back to find Ari smiling at him, an ear to ear grin. "Want down?" Kylin asked softly and she nodded furiously, quickly she was let down gently and immediately she went and hugged her brother taking his head and shooting ahead excitedly.  
  
"Whoa, wait up sis!" Aren called as his little sister dragged him away roughly, Kylin smiled before running to catch up calling for them to slow down.  
  
"C'mon slow down!" The ferret called, giving chase playfully, smiling in same way as he felt himself at rest, content with the world for a moment. The sun had begun its slow descent into the horizon when finally Ari slowed, grinning as her brother and savoir both sat down, gasping for air as she danced with unspent energy.  
  
"C'mon lets find someplace to camp, it's getting dark." Kylin took charge quickly after regaining his breath and motioned them along through the now rapidly descending darkness.  
  
"Wait." Aren suddenly called and Kylin turned to look at him, Ari was making a rapid series of gestures with her paws as Aren watched intently.  
  
"What is it?" Kylin asked in a curious tone of voice as he watched the maid's paws trying to find some pattern is their rapid movements.  
  
"Ari thinks that she heard the river." Aren announced excitedly, but the confused expression upon Kylin's face did not waver in the least as he stared at the two siblings.  
  
"What river?" He asked scratching his head thoughtfully, trying to dredge up any memories.  
  
"The River Moss." The young otter replied looking at the ferret with a curious look on his face, Kylin shook his head as if trying to jar some memory, but gave up and smiled at the young otter with an odd expression on his features. There was a mixture of embarrassment and something else present on his features.  
  
"Something I should know right?" His smile was soft if not confused.  
  
"Yeah, but I mean . . .if you don't live around here." Aren didn't speak further as the ferret gathered himself.  
  
"Which way?" He asked quickly blushing a little beneath his fur.  
  
"That way." After a few gestures from Ari Aren pointed through the woods south, quickly they walked through the woods, the sounds of rushing water becoming more and more noticeable until they were next to the white waters of the River Moss. The fading sunlight casting red shadows over the water as they flowed past the three travelers, unheeding in their course, giving the water a foreboding quality to it.  
  
"We should sleep here tonight." Kylin unloaded the packs from his pack, setting them on the ground. Ari and Aren both collapsed onto a big rock next to each other. "I'll go get some fire wood, why don't you set up the camp while I'm gone." Kylin disappeared into the woods and Aren sat up, looking deeply into his sister's eyes and asked the question that had been burning within him for a while.  
  
"Do you trust him?" He asked Ari, who just smiled and nodded furiously and made a few rapid signs to her brother. "Yeah, I guess your right. Oh and Ari . . ." Ari sat up straight as Aren's voice cracked slightly; he gulped loudly before continuing, fidgeting on the rock, nervous of the response he would get.  
  
"I'm sorry Ari . . ." He trailed off as he shuffled his foot paws nervously and suddenly found something very interesting on the ground, he was shivering slightly. Grabbing his head roughly Ari brought his eyes to hers before grasping her brother in her arms and hugged him tightly. Smiling softly Aren returned the gesture and they sat awaiting Kylin's return.  
  
"I got as much wood as I could carry." Kylin said aloud announcing his return to the pair as he dumped the pile in the middle of their meager camp to find the pair in each other's arms. "Awwww . . .it's just so beautiful." Kylin wiped away a fake tear before breaking into a wide smile.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Aren got up carefully with a fake expression of rage on his features.  
  
"Aw, I was just joshing ye." Kylin laughed a little before sitting down to start the fire, soon a small campfire was made and thanks to Aren they had fish cooking over the dancing orange flames. They sat in a strange silence as the fish cooked, Kylin shuffled nervously. Soon after they ate, Ari drifted off to sleep and Aren sat watching the ferret intently as he poked at the fire with a charred stick.  
  
"Okay what's wrong?" Kylin threw the stick away into the river, a little angry at the silence that had hung over the camp since his return.  
  
"Where are you from?" Aren asked only to be met with silence. "C'mon I've told you about us . . ." He motioned to his sister as he said the words. " . . .Now it's your turn."  
  
"I don't know." Kylin turned to stare at the rushing waters as the flames illuminated it in the dark lands about them.  
  
"Oh c'mon mate, everybeast knows where their from." Aren laughed at the ferret's response, taking it as a horrible attempt to dodge his question.  
  
"Well I don't, I'm not even sure of my name." Kylin turned to face the otter, his eyes burning strangely in the firelight.  
  
"Why?" Aren had found sincerity in the ferret's words and tossed a rock into the river casually.  
  
"I woke up in a field north of where you're from. All I know is that a battle took place it was littered with bodies. Only reason I think my name is Kylin is this." With that he tossed his dagger next to Aren who picked the weapon up to find the name neatly engraved upon the hilt.  
  
"So?" He held the blade inspecting it.  
  
"See where it says the name?"  
  
"Sorry mate can't read." He tossed the dagger back to Kylin who caught it skillfully by the blade.  
  
"Oh, well it say Kylin on the side. Past that I don't really know anything. Past's all a blur, sometimes not even a blur. It's just blank." Kylin sighed before leaning back on the rock.  
  
"Sorry." Aren said softly.  
  
"Don't worry about it mate, let's just get some sleep." With that Kylin turned on the rock to face the river, watching its flow, it lulled him to sleep slowly. However elsewhere nearby, thing's were not so peaceful.  
  


* * *

  
Jimene could feel the blade tickling her throat as her assailant dragged her forward, revealing himself to the tense group. The tension that had gripped the otters faded a little as they were revealed to be a group of squirrels each one armed. Skipper stepped around the fire to face the leader, a dark furred squirrel who wore a bright red bandana, which set him apart from the rest of his troop. Skipper looked around quickly before addressing the squirrel, there were squirrels in a loose circle, surrounding them. If they fought they could win, but it would not be a wise decision.  
  
"Put those weapons away mate, we're all civilized beasts here. So let's talk." Jimene was released forward to her husband and the squirrel lowered his blade hesitantly, Merrill was released in turn as well and sat down by the fire, shaking with fear.  
  
"We've been following you for a little while. Vermin have passed through our territory and assaulted some of our own. The penalty for attacking one of the Crimson Oak tribe is death." The squirrel spoke deliberately without much emotion save a raw burning anger.  
  
"And what does that have to do with us?" Skipper asked with arms crossed in expectancy, while inside he was hoping they were allies.  
  
"We believe one of them is one of your clan. There was a female who looked like a ferret, but from listening to you I believe she is of mixed origins and from your clan." The squirrel raised his blade up in a threatening manner, but Skipper held up a paw.  
  
"No need to attack an ally mate. We are hunting for a maid, she murdered one of our own and we seek to do justice for the lost soul." Hesitantly the squirrel lowered his blade and sheathed it quickly and instead stretched out a paw for the otter to shake.  
  
"Lucef, chieftain of the Crimson Oak clan." Skipper took the paw and shook carefully, not wishing to get the squirrel angry, though he himself was angered by the squirrel's actions against his wife.  
  
"Skipper of otters, leader of my clan as well." Skipper broke the paw shake soon and motioned for the squirrel to sit. "Come we have much to discuss, any 'ot root soup?" Skipper asked grinning quite evilly at the dark furred squirrel.  
  
"No, we have eaten already, we would however wish to discuss the matter of the hunt. Why do you hunt the maid?" The squirrel sat, emotionless in his inquiry, Skipper's face fell a little as the squirrel chief spoiled his fun.  
  
"She murdered one of my warriors and ran off this way. She was of our Holt for a long time before, but she was vermin all along." Skipper received a few dirty looks from his troops, not all thought so, they just wished to find out the truth and none would oppose their chieftain. "Why do you hunt her?"  
  
"My son encountered her while he was out scouting the woods and was attacked and left for dead. As I've said, the penalty she would face is death." The squirrel was emotionless, while Skipper sat fuming a little, still angered by the squirrel, especially his casual demeanor towards the entire matter.  
  
"Shall we track together on the 'morrow?" Skipper asked the squirrel, trying to match the cool demeanor showcased by the chief.  
  
"Yes, we rest through the night and hunt tomorrow for the maid and her accomplice." The squirrel made his way to stand, but was seized roughly by the wrist by Skipper.  
  
"Accomplice? What accomplice?" He asked, confused by the squirrel's words.  
  
"My son was bested by her accomplice, another ferret he thinks, but he was ambushed from behind by somebeast and knocked out." Lucef shook the otter's paw from his wrist and stood, walking to the forest's edge he stopped short of the darkness. "Tomorrow then Skipper of Otters." With that he disappeared into the darkness of the forest depths, leaving a nervous looking Skipper wondering what he had gotten his group into. 


	7. Part One, Chapter Seven

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Seven~  
  
From the diary of the Ottermaid, Kathryn, daughter of Fenton and Moonstream, Assistant bookkeeper of Redwall Abbey in Mossflower County,  
  
'Today was such a lovely day, the sun shone out from behind the clouds  
that had been hovering over our abbey as of late. The feast from last  
night is still keeping broad smiles on everybeast's faces as they go  
about their work. I suppose I should really be doing my work as well,  
but its just a little cataloguing in the library. It's taken months,  
but I believe Georgia and I have finally organized the mess that had  
sat, undisturbed in the gatehouse for so many seasons. I've been  
looking through the books and I'm finding my mother's advice to be  
true, I shouldn't read about all the romance until I'm older. It just  
seems so perfect, so happy. All of the stories I've read, of Martin  
and Rose, of Matthias and Cornflower, All of them have me wanting the  
same thing, some of the same romance. It's been rather boring about  
the abbey, especially after reading about so much action in the past  
weeks, it just seems so calm . . .'  
  
Kathryn put down the diary as she thought, reflecting upon all the romances in the history of her home. She mostly just wanted to experience it, she wasn't too young, but she was still filled with the childhood innocence of al young abbey beasts. Her life, for the most part, had been one of habit and a peaceful idleness. She was friends with the guard of Redwall, made up mostly of their Skipper and his otters who for most part were also quite inexperienced save for Skipper and a few of the elder members.  
  
"Kate!" She could hear her friend's voice, Georgia, the other assistant bookkeeper in Redwall, a small hedgehog maid with a great smile, which she displayed a she walked into the gatehouse to find Kate daydreaming again.  
  
"Georgia!" Kate sat up with a start, quickly hiding the diary. Although she did love her friend dearly she knew the hedgehog was a bit of a gossip about the abbey. Kate had no faith in the maid, but that had never stopped them from being friends.  
  
"Startled you didn't I? Diary?" Georgia smiled as she leaned against a table, which was piled to her head spikes with stories, history as well as some of the older works of the Redwall abbey recorders.  
  
"Yep and no peeking!" The otter maid stuck out her tongue playfully at her friend who returned the gesture gratefully.  
  
"Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me." Georgia bowed to Kate who simply rolled her and stood to greet her friend, still smiling at their almost standard method of greeting one another.  
  
"So what do you want anyway?" Kate smiled at her friend sincerely.  
  
"Just came to tell you that they're serving' lunch out on the lawns." Georgia returned the smile before se broke into a mysterious grin and continued. " In case you zoned out thinking about your future mate an' all the mushy stuff . . ." Knowing what was coming up next she shot from the room as her friend sat steaming.  
  
"Get back here!" She yelled and gave pursuit across the lawns, weaving between the bustling mass of abbey beasts that had been attempting to relax and have their lunch.  
  
"Hey!" A kitchen mouse yelled as Kate, laughing gleefully cut him off. The mouse fell done and was only saved by the quick movements of the Skipper of Otters, known to most as John. John caught the mouse's vat of pudding as it fell, setting it on the grass carefully.  
  
"Be a shame to see all that pudden go to waste now wouldn't it?" He smiled as he helped the slightly embarrassed mouse to his feet.  
  
"Oi'm gurtly 'alieved ee' caught ee pudden." A mole chimed in gratefully as he took a bowl to the pudding, the mouse just shook his head before returning to the kitchens grumbling. John sat down beside his friend, an old, but quite wise otter name Ranaal, the former Skipper of otters.  
  
"If I could be like that . . . " Ranaal muttered softly watching the two maids as they crashed through the abbey, Kate still in hot pursuit of her friend.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure we all wished we could be that carefree." John patted the older otter's back as he was given a bowl of his favorite food, hot root soup. Ranaal just simply shook his head wisely as he too was served a bowl of the spicy concoction.  
  
"No, that's not what I meant." Ranaal spoke quietly as John looked up from his meal, a look of confusion on his features, obvious to all.  
  
"What'd ye mean mate?" John asked, intrigued.  
  
"Look at them, so innocent in the world, unscathed. Hopefully it'll stay that way, I'd hate to see so much good be destroyed through experience." He sipped the soup carefully as John sat, still a bit puzzled by the older otter's words.  
  
"What makes you say that?" John set down his soup carefully as he stared at the other otter's face, searching for some sort of answers in his weathered features. Ranaal sat watching the abbey about him, turning his gaze from the abbey to the sky, looking for some sort of sign, some sort of guidance in his confusion.  
  
"Not sure mate. Jus' a feelin' I've been having lately. Something I amiss and though I don't know what, I'm sure it won't be good for anybeast in these parts." Ranaal stared about the abbey, worry clearly written over his features as he contemplated the words he had just spoken. John simply sat by his side; staring around, worry upon his features as well.  
  
"Any idea what?" John pressed the older otter that merely shook his head.  
  
"Sorry mate. I just hope I'm wrong." With that he watched Kate and her friend Georgia sit down together, laughing and enjoying their lunch as if nothing had ever transpired between the two.  
  
"I hope so too mate . . ." John trailed off as his eyes followed Ranaal's gaze to the two maids who sat side by side, the epitome of happiness and unity, of friendship and peace. A perfect picture of the abbey life at it's best, peace all the way through, undisturbed, a paradise from the cruel world of outside.  
  
"So how yore wife doin'?" Ranaal asked, quickly changing the mood as he put on a fake smile. He was doing it for the sake of all abbey beasts, if they didn't keep the hopes and the dream of Redwall alive then no beast would, he had to show off a happy demeanor for their sake.  
  
"She's doin' all right old friend." John replied, smiling brightly. He knew what the older otter was trying to do and he agreed with it, they had to be strong and set an example and at the time it would be to keep the happiness going.  
  
In all the noise of the lunch a soft knocking could be heard at the main gates, urgent, but in the same moment a soft, hesitant tapping upon the thick wooden doors. Away from the peace of the great red stoned abbey known as Redwall however, an army was coming, destruction and salvation amongst its ranks. It would be Unfortunate for many beasts that Ranaal's sense was right, as it always was.  
  


* * *

  
By the river, the sun had long since risen upon the three rested travelers; they had long since shouldered their packs and crossed the great River Moss at the shallow point at sunrise. They had eaten an uneasy breakfast, Ari had watched through unknowing eyes her and brother and her savoir stare each other down over a meager portion of rations. Ari had sat through the meal in confusion, looking at each in turn, trying to find some clue in either beast's eyes.  
  
What's going on? She signed to her brother expectantly only to receive silence in return as the young otter stared at the ferret warily, as if he expected death. One paw always on his dagger he walked beside the ferret, mentally sizing him up. Aren wasn't terribly shorter then the ferret, he was as tall as his sister and they were all about the same height. Their colorations were similar too, each had a dark brown pelt, with the only difference being the mask of black fur over Kylin's eyes.  
  
"Should we follow the river mate?" Kylin asked in a flat voice, looking at the otter with a strange look in his eyes, Aren jumped slightly as the silence was broken.  
  
"Yeah, it should go right by Redwall." The otter replied nonchalantly, staring into the ferret's eyes with a look of mistrust in his own. Ari glanced between the pair, unknowing of what had transpired during the night, having been asleep; she glanced at the ferret to find a look of almost child-like confusion in his sad eyes.  
  
"So what is Redwall anyway?" Kylin asked as if he were trying to put to rest some unbound rage between him and the otter.  
  
"Its an abbey. I've never been there before, but we've heard it's a wonderful place to live. It's a peaceful place, free from war. My parents went there once, a long time ago . . ." Aren trailed off into silence as a few memories passed through his mind, at one in particular he shuddered visibly. Ari stared into her brother's eyes to find a deep look of pain set into his eyes.  
  
"Just follow the river?" Kylin asked, wisely not pressing for any more information from the quite obviously depressed otter. Suddenly though, Ari jumped onto her brothers back, smiling a huge smile as she choose to use her standard method of cheering Aren up.  
  
"Hey!" He cried as he tumbled forward to land with Ari on his stomach, looking down at him with a joyous smile plastered all over her young features.  
  
Love ya! She signed quickly with a smile on her face, which contagiously spread to Aren as he grinned widely at his sister's antics. Aren smile slowly faded as he looked up to find the ferret towering over him a paw outstretched to help the otter up.  
  
"Here, lemme help ya up." Kylin had a smile on his face, sincere in every way. Apprehensively Aren took his paw and stood, bringing Ari up with him the look of mistrust fading a little as he relaxed. "C'mon let's go, we've got a long ways to cover." The same smile showed up again as the ferret picked Ari up and began carrying her on his strong shoulders much to her amusement.  
  
"Let's go." Aren whispered back, he couldn't figure the ferret out too much. He knew that everything he knew about him was probably just as much as the ferret himself knew; he couldn't help, but pity the poor beast a bit.  
  
"Redwall, hmmm . . ." A shadow in the trees, cloaked in a black shroud, whispered to itself before taking off through the woods ahead of the travelers until it was suddenly thrown from the trees to the ground, landing in a crumpled heap beside the river bank.  
  
"What did you see?" A feminine voice asked cruelly as a paw was placed upon the shadows back. The shadow rose from the dirt, wiping the dust from its cloak before removing it, revealing himself to be a sinewy-bodied stoat, scars up and down his thin frame.  
  
"There are three of them. Two otters and a familiar looking ferret." He spoke as he turned to find another figure, which was still shrouded deeply in a black cloak, which was pressed against a small frame.  
  
"Familiar, how so?" She asked, curiosity seeping into her voice.  
  
"He sort of looked like . . . nah, it couldn't have been and his troops are still far north of here." The stoat stated simply as he wiped off his shroud slowly, eyeing the other figure with mistrust shining in his deep set, almost skull like eyes. "I'm on my way to report, why did you stop me?"  
  
"It was orders. He wants them left alone." The figure said simply as if it were common knowledge.  
  
"Right, who are you?" The stoat crossed his arms, one paw slowly inching towards the small throwing dagger he had hidden in his belt.  
  
"You don't need to know." She spoke in a soft voice, quite different from the initial cold tone she had displayed.  
  
"Then why should I trust you and risk myself?" The stoat asked as he drew the dagger secretly as he awaited her answer impatiently.  
  
"You shouldn't have." With that the figure lunged, drawing out a spear from under her cloak and thrusting the point deeply through the stoat's chest and his heart. As the stoat drew his last breaths before he looked up into the brightly shining eyes of his assailant. Suddenly she drew the spear from his body, letting him fall into the dirt as blood began to pool about him, she merely kicked him into a bush before taking off through the woods heading southeast. 


	8. Part One, Chapter Eight

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Eight~  
  
Skipper cursed quietly as the chieftain of the Crimson Oak clan, Lucef, walked at his side, directing his troops in a similar manner to his own clans 'war speak'. By now the otter chief knew that it wasn't by any good chance they had allied themselves with the squirrels, he could feel their stares from the trees. There were many more squirrels then they had seen in the woods, everyone had a weapon ready and he knew many had them trained on his crew. As would have it they had all lost the trail, it had been swept clean by somebeast so they merely began heading towards the groups supposed destination, Redwall Abbey.  
  
"So you've lost her trail?" Lucef smirked lightly as he walked along side the otter, having to match the big otters great strides, which did make him look a bit comical. The squirrel maintained his dignity with the cold calculating expression on his almost cruel features.  
  
"I see that you've lost her as well, mate." Skipper responded while keeping his eyes trained on the path ahead and off the arrogant squirrel beside him.  
  
"No, not at all." The squirrel muttered softly as he slowed his pace a bit, Skipper stopped and turned to face the squirrel his face the picture of exasperation.  
  
"So then you know where she is I suppose." Skipper gave out an exasperated sigh; the squirrel had kept up these antics all day, irritating the otter to the limits of his control. For a leader, Lucef was surprisingly immature towards the world in general, not a beast to be trifled with, but still rather young seeming, acting as if he were a dibbun.  
  
"Yes, my scouts have been tracking since before we came across you." Skipper glared at the squirrel with contempt, his eyes glowing red in rage as Lucef smirked tempting the otter to make a move. Much to his disappointment Skipper shook it off a little before replying, barely restraining himself from murdering the squirrel with his bare paws just to rid himself of the constant annoyance the squirrel brought.  
  
"Then why do you need us?" Skipper asked coldly as the squirrel walked past him, walking quickly forward.  
  
"Oh don't worry, you'll find out soon enough." Lucef called over his shoulder as he disappeared through the foliage quietly. In the squirrels absence Jimene moved alongside her husband to comfort the chieftain softly, a paw on his shoulder she motioned him on.  
  
"What did he say?" She asked quietly seeing the rage in her mate's eyes.  
  
"He said he knew where she is." He shook visibly as he walked along the squirrel's tracks, all about them he could sense the Crimson Oak clan in the trees, surrounding them, watching and listening to everything that went on.  
  
"How? We lost the trail didn't we?" Jimene asked before coming to the same realization that her husband, she gripped his arm tightly.  
  
"He's been tracking her for a while, before he met us even . . ." Skipper shook his head slowly before glancing back at the otters he had brought from their home, a look of worry on his features. "They don't need us, we're just here for the ride . . ."  
  
"What do you think he'll do?" She stared ahead where she knew the squirrel to be, a look of loathing in her eyes along with a distinct look of worry.  
  
"If he does what I think he will . . ." He paused a moment to look into his wife's eyes, admiring her for everything, staring at her as if it were his last glance of her. " . . .I want you to run, get back home. You understand?"  
  
"Yes, I do." She knew what he meant by those words and it scared her outright. She saw the look upon the otter chief's face, not a look of fear, not one of worry, but one of acceptance of the most terrible thing she could think of. She stood away from her husband as the burning question danced upon her tongue, daring her to ask it again. "Do your still think she did it?"  
  
"Yes I do. He was slain by his own blade, no other beast could have done the deed. We've gone over this, we'll know once we find her anyway, unless . . ." Skipper trailed off, not wanting to dive deeper into the depression that he had already put them in, pushing it from his mind he looked into his wife's eyes.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll stand by you." She snuggled against his arm affectionately, masking her features with a happy grin, but Skipper knew Jimene well enough to know she needed some support at the moment, her eyes showing the feelings her features wouldn't betray.  
  
"Good, let's go on then, shall we?" Skipper bowed, a wry smile on his face in an attempt to cheer up his wife, who smiled at her husband reassuringly running her paw through his head fur comfortingly. She smiled back a strange smile, she would accept it if that was the way the future went, but she refused to abandon her husband until the end.  
  
"Lets." She uttered it softly, kissing him ever so softly on the cheek and they moved on arm in arm, the perfect picture of innocence in one another's embrace. From the trees Lucef watching smirking at the couple, mocking them silently as he hopped among the tree branches, surrounded by his kin. They would soon be near Redwall and the maid he sought as well; he would show the otters what the true Crimson Oak law was.  
  
"Do you think they suspect us?" Another squirrel had stopped by his leader, addressing him in quiet voice after saluting smartly. Lucef glared at his subordinate, red flashing in his eyes.  
  
"Yes, they do and we don't need you making it obvious now do we?" With that he kicked the squirrel hard, sending him flying out of the tree and into the dirt, a cruel grin upon his face. The squirrel landed far from the group of otters, they didn't hear a sound as Lucef jumped down onto the squirrel a dagger drawn. He pressed the dagger to the squirrel's throat, pressing it until a single drop of crimson blood flowed over the keen silver edge. "Well? Do we?"  
  
"No sir." The squirrel was trembling visibly as his leader pinned him down forcefully, a foot paw pushing down on his chest forcing the air out.  
  
"You've caused enough trouble by not killing the maid when you had the chance son." With that he viciously slapped his son with the daggers handle eliciting a large crack, drawing blood from the smaller squirrels nose and a stray tear from his eye.  
  
"Yes sir." The squirrel muttered through his pained jaw and with that he got up and disappeared into the trees soon followed by his father, Lucef.  
  
A pair of eyes watched them from the trees; glinting dangerously in the shade of the forest canopy it's eyes took note of the fleeting forms of the squirrels and otters as they made their way south east. The shadow crept slowly alongside them, unbeknownst to the travelers, listening in on their conversations, all of the plans of betrayal were known to it. It drew itself away from the group, quickly and silently shooting off through the trees heading the same direction, it had some interesting news for its master.  
  


* * *

  
A soft rhythmic tapping upon the southern wall gate of Redwall drew the attention of one of John's many otters. The otter, a middle-ages, thin, but relatively thin specimen, groaned as she forced herself to rise as she felt sharp pains in her stomach from eating far to much of Redwall's excellent foods. She stumbled towards the door, carefully maneuvering through the other abbey beasts that sat, rubbing their full bellies in contentment. Eventually she reached the gate and pushing a small metal slate aside she peered through a small opening to find herself staring into a pair of bright green eyes.  
  
"Wot's yore business here?" She asked in a rough voice, glaring through the small slit of the door at the creature outside.  
  
"I just wish shelter." It replied in a soft, almost downcast tone and moved away from the door slightly.  
  
"What sort of beast are ye? Step back a little so I can see ye." The otter ordered and watched as the pair of green eyes stepped back to reveal a young hare maid, seemingly weathered by travel and hardships.  
  
"May I come in?" Her voice was soft, but somewhat emotionless as she turned her eyes to the ground, staring at the dirt, refusing to look the otter in the eye. The otter however just stared at the maid strangely; she had never met such a low-key hare. She showed none of the enthusiasm or vigor of any hare the otter had ever met or seen, the hare maid had no accent either.  
  
"So yer a hare eh?" Slowly the otter maid unbolted the gate and pulled it back, allowing entrance to the abbey for the maid. She stood in the door, paw extended towards the hare in a gesture of friendship as she grinned at the hare in a light attempt to cheer the obviously depressed hare. "Welcome to Redwall Abbey, the name's Kat."  
  
"Meryl, thank you." Meryl shook Kat's paw lightly as a small, but insincere smile formed on her face as she stepped through the gate into the abbey. Kat led the mad slowly through the crowd of abbey beasts as they went about cleaning up after the feast; Meryl kept her eyes upon the ground, looking nobeast in the eyes.  
  
"So why are you here?" Kat asked as her curiosity won over her manners.  
  
"I just need some shelter for the night, I'll be gone tomorrow." She replied without ever looking up at the otter maid. Kat just stared at the hare a bit before turning. She sighed heavily; it pained her to see the hare maid's depression so plainly written in her body language, her eyes and her features.  
  
"Ye can stay fer as long as ye like mate." Kat smiled a little as she patted Meryl comfortingly upon the back; once again she received the halfhearted smile from before. "We'll get ya to the infirmary so we can get ya a nice bed an' t1hen we'll get ya some vittles, okay mate?"  
  
"That'll be fine." She replied with the same sense of regret. An air of depression hung about the maid, thick as a swampy bog in Kat's opinion. Mentally she promised herself that she'd figure out some way to cheer up the hare by the time she had left, maybe even get her to stay for a bit.  
  
"You'll like Redwall, you'll like Sister Enla too. She's our infirmary keeper, nice mouse too, makes the nicest tastin' physicks too." She muttered softly with a smile as she led Meryl up a winding staircase and into the infirmary where they ran into the kindly mouse, Sister Enla.  
  
"Why hello." The older mouse smiled at Meryl, her voice soft and welcoming.  
  
"Hi." That was all she received from the hare. A short, awkward silence followed broken only by the sounds of the clean up below on Redwall's grounds.  
  
"This is Meryl. She's a traveler an' I was hopin' ye would have a bed to spare for her." Kat broke the silence as she introduced the two. Sister Enla stuck out her paw in a friendly manner; Meryl shook the infirmary keeper's apprehensively.  
  
"Don't worry we have plenty of beds to spare for travelers. Haven't been any sick beasts through here for quite a while." Sister Enla smiled as Meryl took her paw back politely to stare at the floor, shifting the haversack on her back nervously. Sister Enla motioned towards a bed as she walked towards the medicine cabinets and began rooting through her many medicines. "You can use that bed. Let me give you something, you look quite tired dear."  
  
"No, no I'm fine. Just need a spot of food." Meryl whispered quietly, the mouse healer pulled away from the cabinet with a small vial in one paw and a spoon in the other.  
  
"Nonsense. Have a bit of this an' you'll feel right as rain." The sister smiled softly as she poured a spoonful expertly holding out to the hare.  
  
"She's right y'know." Kat smiled before clapping Meryl on the back heartily. "We'll get ye some food as soon as ye down that. Don't worry; our Sister Enla makes the best physick this side of Mossflower. Probably in the whole world too." Sister Enla blushed a bit under her fur as she smiled at the comments brightly.  
  
"Very well." Surrounded by the happy smiles Meryl had no choice, but to smile and receive the medicine gratefully. "Hey this is a jolly good physick!" She cried out excitedly as she tasted it, it really was a great tasting concoction, she felt a little better immediately.  
  
"Toss that sack down on yer bed now an' let's get you some vittles." Kat smiled as she led the hare out of the room and down to the Great Hall. Much later Meryl returned to the infirmary. It was empty now, soft moonlight filtering through the window sending long shadows across the room as she walked to her bed quietly. Slipping under the cool sheets she closed her eyes, only to find the memories coming back to haunt her, that beach and those faces flying through her mind.  
  
Opening her eyes she found the empty room, as her eyes adjusted she found herself looking at the familiar scene of an infirmary. Similar to the one she was used to, but different somehow. A different place, a different time and a new pair of eyes to look at the room with; She sighed heavily, even a cheery place such as Redwall couldn't wipe away that fear she kept inside. She could still feel it eating away at here from the inside, the questions burning for their answers to be found.  
  
'Why did I leave?' Was the foremost question in her mind as well as the only one she had an answer to as well, but still it echoed through her thoughts. Shaking her head slowly she banished the thought and closed her eyes, wishing for sleep to come a whisk her to some other plane. She felt a light breeze flow through her fur and shook a bit in its cold embrace, opening an eye she found a figure, draped in darkness, standing with his back to the window staring at her.  
  
"Hello Meryl, I've been expecting you." It spoke softly in a low, comforting voice and it began to remove its hood slowly. 


	9. Part One, Chapter Nine

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Nine~  
  
Meryl stared at the figure for a moment, the shadows still keeping its identity a secret; something was very off about the room. She could feel it as the room swirled about her crazily, blurring the soft colors of the moonlit infirmary. Everything shifted slowly save for the figure; it stood as if it were a stone amidst the ocean waves, she focused on the shadowed creature, squinting as she tried to make out some detail of the mysterious shadow.  
  
"Come." It ordered as it slowly receded into the darkness, turning as it went. Meryl slowly rose from her bed in the infirmary, her foot paws touching the cold floor. It was colder then it had been a few moments ago when she had lain down to rest. The room too was somewhat darker, colder and more menacing, very different from the comforting infirmary she had closed her eyes upon. Her legs were unsteady she walked towards the spot where the mouse had been, glancing around to find him long gone.  
  
"Now where did he go?" Meryl muttered softly as she felt through the darkness, her paws out in front to keep her from running into a wall. She felt her paws hit cold stone and she felt around for a door. "Where did you go?"  
  
"Here." She heard the shadows voice again from behind her, turning she found herself not to be in the infirmary, but upon the moonlit walk of the battlement of Redwall. She found the figure staring off into the darkness. Moving with nervous steps she stood next to the figure, who with his hood removed and the moonlight shining down upon his features, was revealed to be young, but somehow aged mouse. 'I've been waiting for you here."  
  
"Why?" She asked as she glanced around at Redwall and the surrounding lands, the surrealism of it was unnerving as she clearly saw the dark colors swirling strangely in the darkness before turning back to the one still object amidst the shifting world about her.  
  
"Your fate is intertwined with many from my abbey. You are a key in the salvation of many beasts." The mouse spoke the words simply, expressing little emotion as he went on. "I need you to do something, there is a plague upon these woods on this night and you are a part of the cure. You must undertake a quest."  
  
"A quest? If Redwall is in danger then wouldn't I do more good here then being out there?" She waved a paw towards the dark surroundings of Mossflower as she made her point. The mouse smiled softly at the hare maid before shaking his head slowly.  
  
"One would think, but for this time the danger is not Redwall although our history probably would lead you to think otherwise." He chuckled softly at the thought.  
  
"Who are you anyways? And what's the danger anyways?" Meryl crossed he arms and stared into the mouse's cold eyes, as she looked into them she saw a look she had seen many times upon the shore, so far away, the look of a dead beast.  
  
"I assume you've guess what I am by that look?" He smiled a bit as Meryl's face formed a look of shock and perhaps a little disgust. "Don't worry this is only a dream. Martin the Warrior and I believe you are known as Meryl, a healing hare of Salamandastron." Martin held out his paw in a friendly gesture.  
  
"A dream?" She muttered softly.  
  
"Yes." Martin answered softly.  
  
"I don't usually dream like this . . ." She mumbled as she looked down to the stone paved walls below.  
  
"No I've seen your dreams. This is quite a bit better, wouldn't you agree? Much better then all of the scenes you have haunting your slumbers." Martin glanced towards Meryl and put a comforting paw upon her back as she turned a slight shade of green.  
  
"Yes . . .much better." Meryl confirmed, gulping heavily before looking up and into the mouse's cold, dead eyes. "How do you know that?"  
  
"The dead have little better to do then to watch the affairs of the living. It isn't very good for one to meddle in their affairs however . . ." Removing his paw from Meryl's back, Martin stepped away and walked slowly down the wall a few feet.  
  
"So why are you?" Meryl asked, standing where she was, a look of confusion on her features.  
  
"Because they have already been meddled in. If the hadn't then it would probably be Redwall coming under attack by now and not some place, that can't defend itself. A sacred place, a place that cannot fall to the impending dangers facing it." Martin spoke in a steady voice quite unfitting of the news he was delivering.  
  
"What's the danger?" Meryl asked again, walking to mouse's side and turning him to face her forcefully.  
  
"There." He spoke a single word and pointed into the forest.  
  
"Where?" She asked, squinting into the darkened forest to find nothing save trees, but before he could answer the world swirled around them and she found herself in a vermin camp. Weasels, stoats, ferrets, rats, foxes and even a wildcat sat about a camp, mouths speaking silent words as they ate about a low burning fire, any wisps of smoke caught in thick curtain.  
  
"Here." Waving his arm around the camp Martin moved towards a large tent that stood alone in the small clearing of the vermin camp.  
  
"How can this many vermin go unnoticed by Redwall?" Meryl asked as she glanced about the camp nervously. The amount of vermin in the camp was astonishing in a frightening sense, there had to be at least twenty score or more and it was plain to see that the camp went on in the forest. "Where are we?"  
  
"Just a bit south of Redwall, this is a trained army. Redwall would only notice if they wished to be noticed and no beast else will warn Redwall anyway." Martin pointed to a long line of beasts sitting just outside the camp in the darkness, obviously a slave live by the chains.  
  
"There is so many . . ." She breathed as she stared at the line that disappeared away into the dark.  
  
"A score or so captured today, a group of squirrels I believe. Come." Martin walked slowly into the huge tent to find a large makeshift table, strewn with maps of Mossflower and the counties to the north. A line drawn upon it went right by Redwall and up into the northwest part of the continent, she followed the winding path to find it leading farther north then any lands she had heard of. "Study it carefully."  
  
"Where are they going?" Meryl looked up from the map to the mouse beside her, but before he could answer a sinister voice broke in.  
  
"So Martin, I've been waiting for you." Meryl turned to find a shadow just behind the mouse, all details of its form indistinguishable, it was a flat black form.  
  
"You!" Martin hissed and turned towards the creature, but too slowly as it launched itself upon him and suddenly the scene cracked and swirled around Meryl, the tent disappeared into the darkness and a beach formed before her.  
  
"Martin!" Meryl's cries were lost in the night as she found herself rooted to the spot and unable to move as she felt the crimson waves of the ocean sweep around her foot paws. She was there again, that beach, the crimson beach littered with those eyes. They all stared at her, every sort of beast, their cold eyes burned into hers as they all lay there, silent and dead upon the sands. She felt herself fall to her knees, their eyes still burning into hers.  
  
"Again." A cold voice asked as she felt its breath upon the back of her neck. She turned to find the shadow of it there, green eyes burning in the darkness, a sword glinting the suns fading rays as it was raised for the final blow. Meryl only knelt there silent, staring back into those green eyes with hers as the blade came down n slow motion, cutting through the air until all was dark.  
  
"Well g'mornin' there mate." Slowly Meryl opened her eyes to find the warm abbey infirmary before her, the sun's warm, golden rays filtering through the window and an otter's smiling face before her, her mind wondering how real what she had seen was.  
  


* * *

  
Through the woods, following a faded path, Aren, Ari and Kylin marched slowly, a few stray conversations breaking the uneasy silence that hovered about them. Kylin brought up the rear as Aren marched ahead holding his sister's paw tightly, keeping her close as he glanced about with a nervous air about him.  
  
"Hear somethin' mate?" Kylin asked curiously after having watched the otter glance about nervously, more then once his eyes landing on the ferret.  
  
"Not yet. Feel that though?" He answered nervously, staring back at the ferret, his eyes full of fear. Not for himself, but obviously for his sister.  
  
"Who's after you?" Kylin asked, having asked earlier only to be ignored, but luckily this time he received an answer, though not the one he had been expecting.  
  
"Our chieftain. The Skipper of otters." Aren answered in a cold, but seemingly worried tone.  
  
"What happened?" Strangely enough the news did not shock or surprise the ferret as some vague feeling told him this was not an isolated incident and it wasn't all too uncommon. Why he thought so was lost to the ferret, but he had decided quite a while ago to go on his instincts in order to avoid the confusion of finding the reasons behind them.  
  
"I'd rather not . . ." Aren began, but was suddenly silence by his sister.  
  
"Wait." Kylin hissed softly and grabbed the pair of otters, leading them into a shrubbery by the faded path, moving slowly and silently.  
  
"What is it?" Aren tried to ask in a soft whisper, but was silenced by his sister's paw clamping over his mouth as she and Kylin stared from the shrubs and onto the path.  
  
"Them." Kylin whispered as he pointed a little ways down the path to a rapidly approaching group of beasts, which they now saw to be their pursuers.  
  
"So Lucef, where have they gone?" A mocking voice that was easily recognized as their chieftain, the Skipper of Otters as he spoke to a short, hostile looking squirrel that walked alongside the great otter with barely restrained rage written plainly on his features as he took the otters verbal assault.  
  
"I told you I know where they are riverwhomper." Lucef relied as the group walked by Aren, Ari and Kylin's hiding spot, unknowing of their presence as they passed.  
  
"So where are they treewalloper?" Skipper replied calmly.  
  
"Don't get any ideas, you know my squirrels are all around here." Lucef threatened in a soft voice, his face contorted in rage at the plainly obvious truth that the squirrel was wrong. Worry could be seen alongside the rage on the squirrel' features.  
  
"Don't worry squirrel." They heard Skipper reply as they faded away into the forest.  
  
"Their short one mate." Kylin said softly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Aren asked curious and turned to find the ferret staring away from the path and into the bush with his eyes wide and his face tinted green.  
  
"That." Kylin pointed and following his eyes he found it. A small lump of fur lying perfectly still in the brush, formerly a squirrel, it's lifeless eyes staring at them silently as blood slowly flowed from an old wound, a long slit across it's throat.  
  


* * *

  
"C'mon squirrel. Where are they?" Skipper kept the argument going as Lucef stood steaming with rage written plainly on his face.  
  
"Silence otter!" Lucef hissed, barely keeping himself from leaping onto the otter chieftain and ripping his face apart. Lucef glanced about to find the few squirrels on the ground to have plain looks of fright on their faces, as did most of the otters.  
  
"Where are ye leadin' us then?" Skipper demanded, his patience with the squirrel at its end. He glanced at his otter to find the same as Lucef had found moments before.  
  
"I said shut up!" Lucef yelled.  
  
"Tell me!" Skipper growled grabbing the squirrel by his fur and hoisting him to eye level.  
  
"Put me down riverdog." Lucef demanded in a soft voice, his eyes red with seething hatred.  
  
"Not until you tell me where they are." Skipper hissed right back. Lucef struggled for a second before lashing out with his climbing claws, raking down the otter's shoulder. With a cry of pain Skipper released the squirrel and drew his blade, a long curved sword and stood facing the squirrel that had drawn a similar sword, save being smaller.  
  
"Skip!" One otter cried out as the two lunged at each other, but both fell short and then lay on the dirt path, motionless. "What?" The same otter asked aloud and moved towards his leader cautiously to find him unconscious just before the squirrel that was as well, knocked out cold. It each of their necks buried were identical twin darts.  
  
"Ack!" A strangled cry reverberated over the path and suddenly a black furred squirrel fell from a tree, a knife buried in it's throat, a gurgling cry escaped as it thrashed about on the ground before dying, one paw clutching the knife's handle.  
  
"What the . . ." Jimene gasped suddenly cutting off any further comment. The forest was suddenly alive with creatures, as one they all stepped onto the path, many dragging the bodies of fallen squirrels. They were clearly outnumbered and surrounded. The circle began closing around them like a rope noose, cutting off their lives slowly as they could do nothing, but watch helplessly. 


	10. Part One, Chapter Ten

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Ten~  
  
The forest path was silent, the otters and squirrels having long since passed, the shadow of the sun cast over the forest sending streams of blood red light across the path. All three of the travelers, Ari, Aren and Kylin, lay silent in fear. Aren lay in the dirt at the side of the path, staring into the lifeless eyes of the former squirrel.  
  
The eyes were wide open in a mix of terror and shock, while it was obvious that it had been murdered, by who was an unanswered question that haunted the otter. Kylin sat up, glancing around warily, Ari clinging to his fur in fright. A small movement caught the corner of the ferret's eye; instinctually he didn't move his body, following the movement with only his eyes and the he saw it.  
  
"Aren!" He shouted and dove forward, shaking off Ari in the process, dagger out; Kylin caught the shadow as Aren brought up his in defense. The shadow fell dead into the dirt with its neck viciously slashed wide open. "We've got to go!"  
  
"Why?" Aren asked as he was yanked and to his disbelief the ferret began running off with both otter siblings resting on the ferret's back, both clinging. The ferret ran with speed born of desperation, glancing back Aren found shadows flying towards them, eventually revealing themselves to be cloaked vermin, each one with a dagger out, intent on their prey.  
  
"That's why." Kylin answered into between breaths, it was obvious the ferret couldn't go at his pace for long, no matter how much adrenaline was pumping through his veins. Glancing down Aren saw the dagger resting in Kylin's belt and after a quick look at his sister's terrified face he knew what he had to do.  
  
"Hold on tight." He whispered into Ari's ear softly, but loud enough for her to hear him. With that he dropped off the ferret's back, taking the dagger in the process. A quick roll an the otter tackled the nearest figure, driving the dagger deep into its throat, with a gurgle it fell to the ground, its life blood pumping out through the wound. Kylin had hesitated a moment as he felt the otter's weight lift off, glancing back he saw Aren drawing the dagger out from the figures throat. "Run!" Aren cried out, seeing the ferret's momentary hesitation.  
  
"Damn!" Kylin cursed softly and began running, he knew what Aren had wanted and he couldn't let them all die. He glanced back to find the otter being tackled from behind, Kylin turned away, unable to watch the otter's almost certain death.  
  
"Die!" One of the shadows screamed as it sunk its blade deep into the otters shoulder; Aren struggled with the group, lashing out with his dagger wildly. He looked up to find another figure standing before him, a quarterstaff out and flying downwards towards his head. A sickening crack and the all went blurry before fading slowly into a deep dark red that flooded his vision, finally leading into an enveloping darkness.  
  
Aren A silent whisper crept softly through Ari's mind as she stared back at her brother, watching the dagger sink into his shoulder, watching his blood crawl over the forest floor and finally seeing the staff come down upon him. Silencing the struggle as she clung to Kylin's back watching the fading scene of battle, completely helpless to do anything.  
  
All was quiet then, save for the cracking of leaves under paw as Kylin ran on northwards, cutting through the forests in desperation as tears fell from his charges eyes for the fallen. Silently they ran one, their destination unknown to all, stray tears flying to ground. All they could see was the dark, cold forest that enveloped them.  
  


* * *

  
Slowly reality invaded Aren's senses as he felt the wounds sending sharp barbs of pain through his mind, with that his eyes snapped open and his found himself being held roughly. Looking around with his still blurred vision he found himself surrounded in a forest similar to the one in which he had been cruelly knocked into the realms of unconsciousness. Slowly as the world became clear he found himself before a great tent being held by several beasts, all dressed in identical black cloaks, an assortment of vermin were present, some watching while the majority of them simply went about their business.  
  
"Ah, good you're awake." One of the beasts holding him, a large, male rat, sneered as tickled the otter's throat with his dagger, but there was something else obvious in the rat's tone, utter hatred. "Make a move, just give me the excuse."  
  
"Put him down, Alon." A voice issued forth from the tent and Aren found himself on the ground, his limbs too weak to support himself and his shoulder burning. Taking a quick glance he found his stained with blood from numerous cuts all over his body, a dagger was still buried in his shoulder, bound tightly in his flesh. Aren looked to the tent to find a figure coming out.  
  
"You!" He cried in a voice that was half surprised and half anguished as he saw the ferret that had come from the tents dark depths.  
  
"You recognize me? Interesting." The ferret murmured as he took a weapon into his paws from a hanger within the tent. It was a long wicked whip, metal plated with barbs in various places.  
  
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Aren screamed and with the last bit of his strength he lunged out at the ferret, the one he had known as Kylin, vermin he had left his sister with unknowingly. The otter however got nowhere, the whip flashed out and Aren found himself thrown back into the arms of the cloaked beasts, a shallow wound across his chest.  
  
"No that was quite stupid my friend." The ferret flashed a grin, showing off his sharp, bloodied teeth. The ferret held up his whip menacingly as the otter was hoisted to his foot paws. "I wouldn't advise trying that again if you wish to live for any length of time."  
  
"What'd you do with her scum?" Aren demanded in a weak voice, glaring up at his newfound enemy with all the hate he could muster, his vision once again was clouding over.  
  
"Don't worry otter, we have her. Throw him in with the other slaves. Chain him next to the healer." This was the last thing Aren heard as his vision dimmed and he fainted from exhaustion.  
  


* * *

  
"Aren." A voice called softly, a beautiful melodious voice. He was home again, the ocean crashing just a few steps from where he stood next to her, his family was there, all of it, his mother, his father and Ari, all of them standing happily on the sands under the brilliant, endless blue sky. Suddenly the otter felt a figure cast its shadow over his back.  
  
"Aren." The same soft voice called again, no beast's mouth moved within his view however. He turned to find a dozen shadows standing with their backs to a dark forest, red skies over. Glancing down the line of beasts he found all of them looking at him, looking closer he saw many sorts of beasts, mice, ferrets, other otters, a badger, a weasel and then finally he saw her there, a cloak on. Ari looked into his eyes and spoke softly to him. "Wake up Aren." Are snapped hi eyes open to find himself staring down the muzzle of a gray furred vixen.  
  
"Ahhhhh!" He cried and fell off the bed upon which he had been resting. The vixen, which looked too big to be a fox by Aren's standards, stared down upon him disapprovingly, shaking her great head. "Get away vixen."  
  
"Vixen? No my friend I believe you are ill informed. I am not one of the crafty breed, I'm a wolf if you please." The wolf bowed low to them ground and that was when Aren saw it, both of the wolf's paws and foot paws were chained. She was a slave and as he looked down he found the same chains snapped about his wrists and ankles, looking around he found slaves of all species, vermin and woodlander were chained next to each other in a long line of oppression.  
  
"Sorry. Who are you?" Aren asked curiously, looking the wolf up and down. She wore a beautifully beaded garment, which was very practical. The beads formed a camouflaging pattern and the clothes were very durable and easy to move about in, she had a medical bag at her side, a few stray herbs poking out the top of it. A few tattoos were painted of her muzzle and parts of her exposed fur.  
  
"Rikaaj and I believe your name is Aren if I am not mistaken." The wolf stuck her paw out and Aren shook it in a friendly manner.  
  
"How'd you know my name?" He asked curious at the wolf's knowledge.  
  
"Oh I have my ways." She muttered smiling softly only to receive a rather confused look from the otter. "I'm not a seer, only messing with ya. One of the guards told me your name, said your accomplice shouted it before killing one of their spies."  
  
"Whose spies?" Aren sat back up on the bed, bringing himself up to eye level with the wolf, his voice suddenly becoming gravely serious in tone.  
  
"The creature that's taken over much of the south and enslaved near every beast you see. This is the army of Viand, the bastard." Rikaaj growled audibly as she stared over towards the large tent that Aren recognized as the place where he had talked to the treacherous ferret.  
  
"The ferret, is that his real name, Viand?" Aren asked, throwing angry glancing towards the still tent, the sun had sunk, throwing silhouettes on the tents side.  
  
"The ferret? No, that's his strong right paw. Sadistic little . . ." Rikaaj stopped herself just short of the hatred she was about to vent, she knew that if she were too she's only bring herself pain. "No, Viand is a pine martin. A nasty one too, used to be just as bad as the ferret, a torturer and a warlord, but he took over this kingdom from his father by slitting his throat and he isn't as bad as the ferret."  
  
"Who is the ferret then?" Aren asked, staring deeply into the wolf's eyes, giving away his desperation.  
  
"His name is Jalin, sick bastard. I swear I've seen him enjoy creature's pain too much, it really is disgusting and if you ever see him smile . . .well you can guess why that is." The wolf shuddered visibly and quickly changed the topic. "Here, lie down. I need to treat the rest of your wounds. I'm almost finished."  
  
"Okay." Aren whispered and did as he was told, his eyes on the shadows that moved within the tent, his mind going through the information he had gotten from the wolf. Sighing heavily he mentally beat himself up for ever having trusted the ferret, going against every lesson and every instinct he had. Now his sister was a captive somewhere or worse she was dead by the ferret's paw, he swore he would wreck revenge upon Jalin if it were the last thing he ever did.  
  
"Don't worry, plenty of beast's are with you on that one." The wolf muttered silently as if she were reading his mind, Aren looked up to find Rikaaj staring at the tent as well as she did her work.  
  
"Huh?" Aren asked confused by the unnervingly perceptive wolf.  
  
"You wish to have revenge upon that ferret do you not?" She asked pointing to a figure that moved through the tent with a swagger of authority.  
  
"Yes." The otter answered monotonously.  
  
"Look around the camp, near every beast in this camp would love to have heir revenge upon that mistake of nature, the slaves, the captains and quite a few of soldiers. That ferret would be a dead beast if everybeast weren't so scared of him." Rikaaj sighed heavily and went back to her work, throwing a sidelong glance at a tall, covered cart that rested on the other side of the camp. "What's in there?" Are asked as he observed her looking at the cart, a look of longing plainly showing on her features as she went back to work.  
  
"My family." With that both of them fell silent as a pair of guards walked past, menacing them with their swords, for the rest of the night the slaves were silent, they could feel the guards eyes upon their necks, watching every move, every gesture, every word that passed among the slaves. On the morrow they would be moving north towards their final destination, wherever that was, it wasn't knowledge for a slave to know. 


	11. Part One, Chapter Eleven

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Eleven~  
  
All was lost in darkness of the realm of sub consciousness. It enveloped everything as the king crashed about in the darkened corridors of his mind. Lost within the walls of his subconscious Viand ran through hallways that seemed to bend and change before his very eyes, leading him in impossible direction. What he was looking for was a mystery, but eventually he saw it, the light at the end of the tunnel. A shining beacon of light beckoning the pine martin into its warm embrace, crossing the threshold between light and dark, Viand found himself at the center of his own camp watching the twisting form of the flame that served as the only light.  
  
It was night, the camp felt empty as the warlords eyes passed over it, never missing a detail as he paw strayed towards his belt and the long curved sword that hung from it. The moon cast pale shadows over the tents, broken only by the yellow light of the flickering fire. Unsheathing his sword, Viand tested the edge, an instinct won through countless battles of his youth. Cautiously Viand took a step towards his personal tent, a great towering behemoth among the small city of tents.  
  
"It's here lord Viand." A voice suddenly said, breaking the unnerving silence that flowed across the camp, Viand turned with his sword at the ready, moon light glinting off its steel menacingly. His observant eyes caught only a figure, silhouetted by the flames, as the source of the voice.  
  
"Who are ye and what're ye doin' in my camp?" Viand demanded taking a step towards the figure, the blade held out towards it.  
  
"I am that which drives you lord." The voice had a definite feminine quality about it, cool and calm, unafraid of the blade, which now poked its chest.  
  
"Make sense female." He demanded in a cold voice, stepping up closely to the figure, it remained a shadowy figure, no details coming into the light. He tickled its throat with his sword threateningly before continuing. "No riddles."  
  
"I speak no riddles sire, only the simple truth." With that the figure abruptly disappeared, leaving the martin to stumble forward and nearly into the flames. Viand landed on all fours, flames licking his face, but he felt no pain, not even the heat. Undeniably waves of cold spread from the fire over his body, sending shivers down his spine, quickly he pushed off and landed on his back, away from the fire.  
  
"Viand." A voice called from the darkness once more, another females voice, but `it wasn't the same one that had disappeared moments ago. Viand turned towards the voice and suddenly found himself not in his own camp, it wasn't even dark anymore and he was somewhere far away. It was a beautiful summer's day, rolling green hills covered by beautiful flowers covered the horizon under a brilliant blue sky, devoid of clouds. Viand sat amid a bustle of beasts, it was a town, all species moved about the warlord, oblivious to the martin's presence as they went about their wok in silence.  
  
"What is this?" Viand asked, half-hoping for an answer as he held his sword out in defense, just in case somebeast should notice him. He was amid a great town, which by most standards would be considered quiet large, wood framed buildings stood, all of them somehow cheerful. The windows looked out upon the streets where there was eerie silence. An otter's mouth moved as he spoke some words of advice to another, younger otter, possibly his brother, but only silence came to Viand's ears.  
  
"This is your future lord." A voice replied belatedly and Viand turned to find that a very beautiful ferret maid had spoken as she stood, unnoticed as the warlord, amid the townsfolk. The ferret waved he arm over the town scene before her to illustrate her point, but then a fast as she had come she too vanished, taking with her the town scene.  
  
"What?" Viand yelled as the world suddenly spun around him dizzyingly, finally the world stopped and the warlord found himself standing amid the remains of the town. The landscape was ravaged beyond repair, bright flowers were replaced by flames the hungrily devoured the landscape. To his right a building caved in sending out a jet of flame as the fire spread from it to other buildings as beasts ran about in panic.  
  
"Viand." A different voice called, softly and nearly indistinguishable as Viand watched in a sort of stupefied awe as an otter maid ran by almost in slow motion, a young otter kit strapped across her back, crying silently. Strangely Viand stared as he maids eyes wandered onto his, an accusing stare locking onto his and suddenly she fell to the ash covered ground, a spear through her heart, killing her instantly. The infant looked up from its mother's back, no longer crying, a look of sheer hatred on its feature before it too died, an arrow stuck through its tiny figure, snuffing out its short life.  
  
"Viand." The voice came again, clear as a bell. It called his name again and again as he stood at the center of the town, watching the chaos reign around him, soldiers he recognized ran through the streets, setting fires and dealing with the small pockets of resistance left, the martin watched as an otter fiercely defending the burning wreck that had once been a happy home with determination. The otter swung the sword at a small group of vermin, two rats and a weasel, that all carried spears, keeping the otter at bay.  
  
The otter was obviously worn down, cuts covering much of his body and his fur stained with ash and dirt, he slowly faltered and found three spears pushed through his body, killing him slowly. Blood ran over the spearheads and into the dirt, staining the ash red as his life slowly faded, his last glances towards the small dead forms that had once been his wife and child, his family. Viand turned to find a ferret standing on a hill, an arrow pointed, level with the warlords face, the ferret released and Viand found the metal streaking towards him, a messenger of death.  
  
"Lord." Viand heard the voice again and he woke up suddenly to the sound of a loud frightened gasp, he felt a warm, thick liquid run over his hand. Looking down he found his sword paw clutching his weapon, red blood flowing over it. Tracing it up the blade he found one of his personal slaves, a beautiful ferret maid, impaled by the steel shaft, choking on blood as it filled her mouth. Viand watched in silence, still clutching the sword, as she slowly died, her eyes boring into the warlords, a look of pain and confusion in them.  
  
A short gurgle and she fell limp upon the sword; she was stone cold dead as she slid from the sword into a heap upon the floor at the foot of the warlord's bed. Viand glanced at the body disgustedly as he saw the red stains on both his sword and his paw, getting up he glared about the tent to find all of his other slaves staring at him with fearful gazes, looking from the corpse to their master, trembling slightly. Viand glared down to look into the ferret's eyes, which seem to stare back up, a look of hate and accusation frozen in her dead, glazed eyes.  
  
Viand shuddered slightly at the memory of his dreams; this was the same ferret that had spoken to him in those visions of his subconscious, haunting words stuck in the warlords mind. Cruelly he kicked the corpse hard enough to roll it from his personal chamber so he would not have to look the maid in the eye anymore, the lord growled slightly at his slaves, that promptly pretended to rest, fearing the martin's wrath. Viand fell back into his bed, tiredness overcoming a subtle sense of dread as he lapsed back into dreams, a single phrase haunting him.  
  
"This is your future lord." Those words echoed through the recesses of his mind and then with a cruel grin the warlord gave his silent answer. "So be it."  
  


* * *

  
Meryl sat at the breakfast table in the great hall, surrounded by the lively, happy creatures of Redwall. Great food was before the hare maid, but she had not touched a piece, her plate clean and unused, as it had been the night before. She shook slightly as her mind went over he dreams or at least the fragments that she remembered, he eyes strayed from her plate and focused upon the great tapestry of Redwall. There he was, upon the beautifully embroidered tapestry Martin stood out, his eyes seemingly staring at the hare maid.  
  
"You all right Meryl?" Kat asked as she sat across from the hare, a worried look upon her features. The hare's mood had sunk to where it had been when she had first entered Redwall and Kat didn't like it, she had worked hard to cheer up the hare maid. It was in the otter's nature that the hare's depression carried over to her own mood and Kat normally happy face drooped in sadness.  
  
"Yes, it's just that . . ." Meryl shook her head slowly. "Just a dream." Meryl said and brightened up a little as she caught a glance of the otter's downcast features, smiling at the otter brightly.  
  
"What sort o' dream gets you this depressed?" Kat asked curious.  
  
"Strange dreams . . .have you every had a dream where it was totally real feeling?" Meryl asked, resting her head upon her arms as she stared at the figure of Martin the warrior once more.  
  
"Yep, of course. Everybeast 'as one time or 'nother. Wot sort of dream was it?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but it felt like a sort of prophecy or something." Meryl answered, rather unsure herself of what the dream meant. "It had him in it though, does that mean anything?" Meryl pointed towards the courageous form of Martin casually, Kat turned to look and looked back to Meryl with a strange look on her face.  
  
"You dreamed 'bout Martin?" Kat asked, completely serious suddenly.  
  
"Yes. He was telling me something about a threat. Not to Redwall, but to someplace far north of here and the he was . . ." Meryl began, searching through the shattered fragments of her dream, putting them back together like a puzzle.  
  
" . . .Attacked by a shadow." Both Meryl and Kat said at the same moment, both glanced at one another in surprise.  
  
"How'd you know?" Meryl asked with a look of mild shock on her face.  
  
"Cos' I had the same dream. Ye think it's important?" Kat asked, slightly nervous of the probably gravity of her dreams. Before Meryl could answer, the entire Great Hall suddenly silenced as the leader of Redwall called attention to him. The Abbot was a mature, but rather young beast, an otter by the name of Michel, who was a great leader despite his inexperience.  
  
"It has been brought to my attention that the spirit of Martin the Warrior has visited our abbey and certain beast's have been given a message. A warning of things to come." At this statement the hall burst into quiet whispers and the passing of rumors of great warlords and evils coming to Redwall in some sort of quest for wealth. "It has also been brought to my attention that Redwall is indeed not a part of these warnings, but creatures of our abbey have been called into service in the defense of others. Any who have received these messages please stand and come forward, I wish to speak to all of you in my chambers." With that the young Abbot left the hall for his office, a small scattering of beasts followed suit, leaving under the gaze of the entire hall.  
  
"Should we go?" Meryl asked, watching the stares of the abbey beasts as rumors fluttered about the tables, gossip spreading like wildfire.  
  
"Yes." With that the otter stood confidently and walked calmly out of the Hall, leaving Meryl sitting there, surrounded by abbey beasts, but alone in her dilemma. Shyly the hare maid rose and stalked out of the hall slowly, following her friend who had waited just outside the hall to lead her to the abbot's chambers.  
  
"Thank you for coming friends." The young abbot sat, surrounded by no less then twenty abbey beasts, young and old alike. The two youngest were a young otter maid and her friend, a young hedgehog maid, both of which looked fearful of their dreams. It seemed that many of those present were otter's in Skipper John's crew strangely enough.  
  
"Wot do ye make of this sir?" John asked Abbot Michel in a casual tone, unbefitting of the gravity of their situation. Everybeast in the room knew the dream.  
  
"I'm not so sure John. Looking to the past, Martin has always yielded wisdom in those matters he intervenes in. We should do good to heed any of his warnings." The abbot answered solemnly, eyes closed in thought. "All who wish to answer Martin's call may, all who wish not to may choose not to. I must leave this decision up to you, it is not the place of an abbot to decide any beast's fate."  
  
"I'll answer his call." Surprising near everybeast in` the room, Meryl stepped forward and spoke her decision confidently and with the fearlessness of any hare of Salamandastron.  
  
"So will I." Kat soon followed suit and slowly they went around the chamber, everybeast agreed upon going save for the youngest, Kathryn and Georgia, who both remained silent.  
  
"Should we?" Georgia asked her friend in a soft voice, obvious unnerved by the situation they had quite suddenly been dropped into.  
  
"Sir they are both young 'uns, should we really let them?" John asked the Abbot is a quiet whisper.  
  
"It is their choice." Was the only response John received.  
  
"Yes, we have to, it's our duty." Kathryn whispered back to her friend, memories of what she had read in all those days she'd spent in the library. "I will answer Martin's call."  
  
"So will I." Georgia answered, a nervous quiver in her voice.  
  
"Good, now we must plan." With that they began to work out a plan for their journey, using all the fragmented parts of each one's visions. Soon, as the sun slowly set upon the day the group of Redwaller struck out north under the careful watch of Redwall among other beasts. Somewhere in a tree the leaves shook as a minion flew through the trees to report upon this new turn of events. 


	12. Part One, Chapter Twelve

~Part One ~ The Last Days Of Summer~  
  
~Chapter Twelve~  
  
The group from Redwall had been traveling all morning, having set out the day before, and everybeast was perfectly silent. All of the happiness was gone out of them; it had been left at Redwall. A cloud of depression hung over the group like a rain cloud, dampening everybeast's mood. Even the youngest, Kathryn and Georgia, were silent as they exchanged worried glances every once in a while. It wasn't just the fact that they were leaving family, friends and their homes behind; there was the eerie feeling of being watched. Most everybeast had a paw on their weapons, ready for anything.  
  
"Creepy ain't it?" Kat whispered to Meryl quietly, her paw grasping her javelin tightly.  
  
"Righto." Meryl answered, her eyes darted over the trees lining the rough path. Every so often she could swear she saw eyes looking back at her. "Can you see it?"  
  
"What?" Kat asked with a nervous waver in her voice.  
  
"In the trees, that shadow, can't you see it?" Meryl averted her eyes from the trees and glanced over to the pair of young beasts that were accompanying them. What if they were to be ambushed by some evil creature on their way, what if they got hurt? Meryl suddenly found herself wishing the pair had stayed back at Redwall.  
  
"No . . ." Kat answered while staring into the treetops, but then she saw it, a shape jumping through the trees, from branch to branch. "What is it?" She wondered aloud in a soft voice that barely carried in the cold, dead air. The weather seemed to have taken an unnatural turn, the sky that had been that of a beautiful, late-summer day turned cold and menacing. Gray clouds hovered overhead. Watching the shadow move through the trees, both Meryl and Kat made their way up to the front of the group, walking alongside Redwall's chief otter, Skipper John.  
  
"John." Kat whispered, placing a paw on the otter chieftains shoulder.  
  
"Wot Kat?" Skipper John whispered back, it was obvious that he too had the eerie sensation of being watched, white knuckles showed through his fur as he gripped a javelin tightly.  
  
"We're bein' followed sir." She answered quickly in a nervous voice; the chieftain followed her gaze and stared for a while into the canopy of the forest before he saw it. No more then a fleeting shadow through the treetops.  
  
"Stay calm." The Skipper ordered and walked swiftly out at the head of the group, scouting ahead a bit before he dropped back suddenly. "It's more then one."  
  
"Kathryn, Georgia." Meryl called in a quiet, strained voice. They glanced up and hurried forwards to be next to the hare maid.  
  
"What is it Miss Meryl?" Kathryn asked in a soft, sweet voice.  
  
"Stay close to us." Meryl quickly grabbed the hedgehog maid's paw, holding her near. Kat did the same for the otter maid. It was getting more and more obvious that they weren't going to get much further down the path without some sort of a confrontation; everybeast had their weapon at the ready, looking for places to hide, cover, escape routes and anything else that could help them.  
  
"Duck!" Immediately Meryl dropped down, forcing Georgia to crouch as well. An otter lay on the ground, either knocked out or dead, a large spear through his shoulder and then she found their group suddenly surrounded by dozens of beasts donning black, unrevealing cloaks. All of them had weapons drawn; mostly an assortment of spears and swords, a few showed up in the trees, arrows aimed downwards at the group.  
  
"Halt!" A voice commanded in a stern tone, everybeast was frozen. "That was a warning shot. Anybeast moves and all of you shall perish." One of the cloaked figured pulled back it's hood to reveal a male rat with an irritatingly smug look upon his face, he stepped slowly towards the front where Skipper John, Meryl and Kat stood, awaiting whatever was to come.  
  
"What do ye want?" John demanded, glaring daggers at the rat as he glanced at his fallen comrade. The fallen otter was only unconscious, his chest rising up and down with each breath. The skipper of otters, glanced around, sizing up the small army before him, there were at least forty that he could see, maybe more. They were at the very least twice their numbers, it was a hopeless battle, they could take down a few, but victory was far out of reach.  
  
"You have three choices here otter." The rat sneered, spitting out the word otter as if it were some vile filth that needed to be tossed away. "You may either pledge your loyalties to the great lord, King Viand, give yourselves up and become his slaves or you may die on this very path." That was when the rat made his first mistake, the otter chieftain was far faster then he looked, the rat drew too near and John lashed out, grabbing the rat as a hostage in one swift movement.  
  
"Now here's your choice rat, let us go or die." The otter stated, loud enough for anybeast to hear, but the rat never got a chance to reply.  
  
"Charge!" Somebeast called and the cloaked beast's moved in quickly, the rat was already dead in the skipper's arms, an arrow protruded through its skull. Arrows flew from the trees, downing most of the crew with non-lethal wounds.  
  
"Redwall!" The otter chieftain cried out the war cry of Redwall abbey and the small party began their futile battle, only two endings were possible. They would either die right there and then or they would become slaves for King Viand.  
  
"Free or dead!" The otter chieftain yelled out his sentiments as he lashed out wildly with his javelin, landing a lucky blow across a stoat's neck, slicing it wide open. The bloodlust had gone to the otter's head, he eyes burned with the warrior's desire for battle blinding him from any possible chance of escape. Turning the javelin he blocked another stoat's sword and stabbed forward into its stomach, splattering crimson blood onto the forest floor. Then Skipper John went down with an arrow in the back, he looked up with a ragged breath and found a sword cutting the air towards him, ever so slowly moving towards his death and then all disappeared in a swirl of red and black.  
  


* * *

  
Aren had awoken to the crack of the whip that morning and already before the sun had risen fully into the sky, his back was littered with bleeding cuts, his clothes torn by the cruel whip. He'd been taken from the wolf healer's care late in the night, chained together with a group of sleeping otters and left alone. All through the night fantasies played in his head, what he was going to do to that ferret when his chains were removed.  
  
"Keep it movin' scum." The whip came down on a straggler, an otter maid, her face contorted with the pain, but she quickened her pace.  
  
"Bastard." Aren hissed under his breath, cursing the slave driver.  
  
"Aren?" A soft whisper caught the otter' attention. He turned to find a familiar face there.  
  
"Jimene?" Aren stared for a moment, amazed to have found a familiar face among the crowds of slaves, especially to find her near.  
  
"Yes." Jimene whispered back, bringing herself even with the younger otter she looked him over. Stained bandages covered wounds all over his body. "What happened? How did they get you?"  
  
"They ambushed us. Where's Skip?" Aren asked, confused to see the ottermaid without her husband. She remained silent for a moment before answering.  
  
"He's dead Aren." She answered with a sigh, glancing over her shoulder. Aren followed her gaze saw it, a mound of dirt set apart on the path, a new grave. Aren looked back to find the newly widowed otter maid with tears in her eyes, a look of sorrow on her face.  
  
"How? Why?" Aren asked, shock on his face and in his voice. A few days before the Skipper had been his enemy, a few days before that he'd been his respected leader and now he was nothing, but a dead beast, the mortal shell of his former leader.  
  
"We were ambushed too. When they woke us all up he was dead, they had hung him . . ." Her voice cracked slightly and she fell silent as tears streamed through her fur, turning it a darker shade. A cold wind swept through the trees, unusual for the season, it sent a shiver down Aren's spine. All the normal warmth of the woodlands was gone, swept to some distant plain.  
  
"Skip . . ." The word was lost in a new gentle breeze.  
  
"They said something like 'Break the leader and break their spirit' before doing it. Bastards." Jimene cursed softly, staring the slave driver with burning hatred in her heart. Aren looked at her with surprise, the otter maid normally wasn't one to curse, but then again it was far from normal circumstances.  
  
"What do you think is gonna happen to us all?" Aren asked his gaze shifting to the group where he knew the ferret was, the fantasies began playing over in his mind, a dagger through ferret's evil heart as he hung from a tree in place of the now dead otter chieftain.  
  
"I don't know, but Viand will pay if it's the last thing I do." Jimene swore, staring towards the head of the armies where she knew the pine martin king was, marching them north towards some unknown destination.  
  
"Where d'ye s'pose we're goin'?" Aren wondered aloud in a soft voice.  
  
"North, they wouldn't tell us any more." Jimene stated and turned her yes to the ground, focusing on her paw steps, Aren did the same and all was silence save for the monotonous sounds of marching.  
  


* * *

  
The path was a bloodied mess; dead bodies lay in the ditches. Both sides had lost members, but the inevitable had happened. The group of questors from Redwall had failed; half of them lay dead at the feet of Viand's army. The other half were already in chains, few of them were conscious.  
  
"Send word to Viand that we have more slaves ready for him." One beast, a grinning stoat, the new leader after the rat had foolishly gotten himself killed, ordered one of his subordinates, a small rat.  
  
"Yes sir." With that the rat quickly took off through the trees.  
  
"Get up slaves." With a sharp kick, the newly enslaved redwallers sighed, rising unsteadily to their feet. It was mainly a group of mice and hedgehogs, one otter, who had been knocked out during the fight, was in chains, but all of the true warriors lay dead, Skipper John's crew or at least a part of it lay on the ground, slaughtered.  
  
"C'mon." Another stoat ordered, cracking his whip across their back, skillfully lashing several beasts in one crack of his whip. Within a few moments they had their new slaves heading south to meet up with the main force of Viand's army.  
  
"Get it movin'." The yells faded slowly into the distance, the cracking of the whip nearly constant. Then the sound ceased altogether as they moved out of hearing range.  
  
"Are they gone?" A voice whispered somewhere. In the ditch at the side of a path, the body of a dead rat rolled over lifelessly and from below it both Meryl and Kat rose. Their fur was stained crimson with the blood of the rat that had been hiding them from view.  
  
"Yes, but look at wot they did." Meryl glanced around tearfully at the scene before them, it was a reminder of what she had left behind, but it seemed to be following her.  
  
"Yep." Kat muttered and slowly from their former hiding place she lifted up the two young beasts, Georgia and Kathryn. They looked at the carnage; blood strewn across the path and the smell of it was everywhere, the sickly, sweet smell of blood and death.  
  
"What should we do, we haven't go the time to bury them?" Kathryn asked, a look of shock graced her features; her fur was stained with blood as well. Georgia stood next to her friend unable to do or say a thing; suddenly she collapsed to her knees and vomited into the ditch, rising a few minutes later.  
  
"She's right mate." Kat sighed heavily, she could recognize every dead beast there, memories were abound in her mind, remembrance of the dead.  
  
"We follow them and try to get them out." Meryl stated, taking command she started south along the path, Kat follow quickly making sure both Georgia and Kathryn were with them. A long journey was before them now, even longer then before.  
  


* * *

  
Though the trees the rat jumped and dodged, making his way quickly towards his army, but then suddenly something caught him and he felt himself drop from the tree to the ground. He rolled and stood with his knife out, menacing the shadowy forest. He couldn't see anything, what had grabbed him was a mystery, but he knew somebeast was watching.  
  
"Show yerself scum!" He shouted aloud to the shadows.  
  
"Scum?" A voice echoed.  
  
"Wha?" The rat suddenly found himself on the ground again, a blade at his throat, his own weapon knocked from his paw into the foliage.  
  
"You're going to answer my questions scum." The voice growled, it was somewhat familiar to the rat, but he couldn't place it and all he knew was the pain as his arm was twisted cruelly.  
  
"Yes! Yes!" The rat cried out in pain as he tried to glance back for a glimpse of his attacker.  
  
"Where are they heading? Tell me!" The attacker ordered, allowing his blade to draw a bit of blood.  
  
"They're headin' nor' west to some village, that's all I know!" The rat yelled and then he found himself thrown against a tree, he groaned for a second and looked up at the attacker. The rat gasped aloud as he recognized his assailant. "Jalin?" That was the rat's last word, for with a flash of the dagger he was dead, his spirit drifting off to some other place.  
  
~End Part One~ 


	13. Part Two, Chapter Thirteen

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Thirteen~  
  
It was a sad sight, a look of worry on his face; the squirrel leaned next to the door, patiently waiting for some sort of news, good or bad. Inside he could hear screams, the incoherent ranting of a mad beast, it was his wife's voice though in the same moment it wasn't her, it was a disease. She had gone insane, the beast he had once known lost, adrift in a sea of nonsense and rambling, impaired logic and strange fantasies. All of it was an elaborate production of her twisted mind.  
  
"Daddy?" A voice asked softly, shaking the squirrel out of his thought as it tugged at his shirt's sleeve.  
  
"Nana. What're you doin' up this time of night?" It was his daughter, a short little child, a bit out of dibbun hood, but still quite ignorant of the ways of the world, she was innocent.  
  
"I heard yelling." The squirrel lifted his daughter and held her tightly, straightening a few stray pieces of fur, he was plainly worried and he disguised it horribly. "Is mommy going to be okay?"  
  
"I . . ." He began, not really sure if he should tell her the truth or continue to keep the truth from her, shield her from the world. He sighed heavily before trying to continue again, his eyes locked on the closed door. "I . . .I'm not sure Nana. I jus' don't know. I hope she will." He brushed a few stray tears away, trying to stay strong for his daughter's sake, but Nana saw through it, she knew something was wrong. The yelling from behind the door suddenly began to quiet until there was silence, the door swung open and a vixen stepped through into the hall, shutting the door slowly behind her.  
  
"Tan?" The vixen asked, not sure of his name. Her voice had an underlying note of worry and her face was plainly frightened.  
  
"Yes. How is she?" The squirrel, Tan, asked quickly, setting his daughter on the floor.  
  
"I can't be sure. This is not an affliction I know well. It's an unknown to me. You can talk with her for now, I've gotten her calmed down for now." The vixen sighed heavily after she told Tan the grim news, I was her duty as a healer to preserve life and she was unable to do a thing.  
  
"Is she going to . . ." He trailed off into silence, his eyes on his daughter. He didn't want Nana to know what might happen, but how long could he keep it from her was on his mind. He knew that his wife wasn't going to make it, she hadn't been the first to come down with the disease, many others in their town had been affected, each one slowly dying as they ranted on insanely.  
  
"Most likely. I'm sorry . . ." The vixen looked to the floor, she hated to have to say those words, but she wouldn't lie, especially to Tan, he was after all a good friend.  
  
"Here, take Nana back to her room." He handed his daughters tiny paw to the vixen and she complied, shedding a few tears as she went.  
  
"C'mon Nana, it's way past your bed time." Nana followed the healer, but her eyes were on her father who stepped into the room slowly, trying not to make a sound as he went. He closed the door and locked if before turning to his wife.  
  
"Abie?" He asked quietly, staring at his wife. She was bundled up under the covers of the bed, she was visibly pale beneath her fur and pieces of her once beautiful reddish fur littered the floor. He eyes peered out into nothingness and were filled with fright; her chest rose and fell slowly with her shallow breathing and then she opened her mouth and spoke.  
  
"It's coming, can you feel it?" She asked hoarsely, a paw reaching out towards her husband.  
  
"What's coming Abie?" He asked quickly, hanging on her every word he grasped her paw tightly.  
  
"The shadow is coming, can't you feel it?" She asked again, her eyes turned to her husband, darkness circled her eyes, making her beautiful face into a skull, a reminder for Tan of what was to come.  
  
"Feel what?" He asked, his voice was full of worry, but she seemed to ignore him. Her eyes were unfocused their normally blue hue faded, giving way to a cloud of soft gray.  
  
"The cold, can't you feel it? It's coming here." She stared into nothingness again, gripping Tan's paw tightly, he did the same and then suddenly it felt as if the temperature had dropped in the room.  
  
"Yes." He answered, a few tears running from his eyes. He hated to see her as sick as she was, he could tell she was in pain, but there was something else in her eyes, something unfamiliar.  
  
"The lord is coming. We shall fall." There was no uncertainty in her voice, she stated it as fact and visibly shivering she forced herself into a sitting position. "Run."  
  
"What? Run?" Tan stuttered a little, confused his wife's words.  
  
"Run, save yourself."  
  
"What?" Tan stood away from his wife, shocked by her words, but still he listened.  
  
"Take Nana and go." She ordered him, squeezing his paw to the point of the blood being cut off.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He's coming, take her and . . ." She began, but never finished for she collapsed back into the bed unconscious, but still alive. Brushing her fur softly with one paw Tan gripped her other paw tightly, he could feel her pulse, steady, but fading slowly.  
  
"Don't worry, it'll all be okay. It'll be okay." Crying he rested his head on hers. It was so much easier to lie when they couldn't here you, but it changed nothing, nothing at all.  
  


* * *

  
Down the hall the healer was tucking Nana into her bed. She too was faced with the same dilemma that Tan was facing just a few doors down. The question froze her in place.  
  
"Missus Riala?" Nana had asked softly, barely awake, her eyes slowly drooping closed with tiredness; only fear was keeping her awake.  
  
"Yes?" The vixen answered, her voice cracking a little. She sat next to the young maid on her bed, running a paw through her head fur the same way a mother would, trying to take away her fears  
  
"Is mommy going to be okay?" The words hung in the air; the young squirrel maid's half closed eyes, their blue hue reminiscent of her mothers, burned into Riala's own.  
  
"I wish I knew Nana. Don't worry, it'll turn out okay." Riala rose to he foot paws and stepped towards the door, glancing back once. "Someday." Then she left the squirrel maid alone for sleep to come, the night to pass and the next day to begin.  
  


* * *

  
The town burned brightly in the coming darkness; smoke twisting in the winds on its way into the heavens with screams and cries filling the air. Everything was on fire, orange flames eating away at the wooden buildings slowly, collapsing. Beasts ran through the dark, appearing from the shadows before they disappeared into their embrace just as quickly. The ground was black with soot, the sky had disappeared in a cloud of smoke and all around was chaos.  
  
Amongst it all she stood, the squirrel maid was rooted to the spot in shock. It couldn't be real; it had to be some kind of horrid dream, some sort of twisted nightmare. She watched helplessly, frozen by fear as well as disbelief, as the phantoms swirled about. She caught brief glimpses of their faces, mothers, daughters, sons and fathers all running, fear on their faces and in their hearts.  
  
"What is this?" She muttered in shock, watching the muted scene before her. Out from the dark came an otter maid, a baby crying out silently on her back and then after them came the arrow, messenger of death, quickly throwing the mother to the dirt, dead. The baby however carried on, crying for itself on it's mothers back before out the darkness came another arrow, severing its life as well.  
  
Abie fell to her knees; she felt like throwing up, it was horrible, far too much to see, the blood, the chaos, the death, all of it. She knelt amidst the chaos, staring into the babe's dead eyes, they seemed to say something to her, but she didn't know what. Glancing up she found an arrow streaking through the air, but then it suddenly slowed.  
  
"What?" She asked in confusion as well as anger. She could see it cutting the air, getting up, she examined the arrow and grabbed for, but then the world sped up again and she looked to see the arrow implant itself in another otter's chest. It was a familiar otter, she knew him to be the otter maid's husband, a born warrior and even at his death he held his sword high.  
  
"No." She whispered, watching the otter's sword fall through the air, slicing a rat nearly in half, almost in slow motion they both fell to the dirt, dead. She stood up, tears streaming from her eyes, filled with fear as well as rage she ran into the shadows, looking for the beast that had shot  
  
Unfortunately she found nothing, just shadows and darkness before her. She was surrounded by black, a cold wind blowing through her fur. There was no warmth, no light. Only the cold and darkness were there to comfort her. Abie stood in the darkness, what was it all supposed to mean, was it just something from her mind and if it was why did she get the feeling that this was all real somehow.  
  
"You're right." A voice echoed as though she were in a great cavernous hall. The voice wasn't one she recognized and all she could tell was that it was male.  
  
"What?" She looked around, trying to pinpoint the voice, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.  
  
"You're right my dear. This is all real. Just not yet." The voice continued on seeming to mock the squirrel maid, speaking in a clear, matter of fact voice.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The darkness is coming. Can you not feel it?" It asked, almost seeming to revel in the fact.  
  
"What is it?" Abie demanded, her greatest fears playing before her visually. She could see it happening, a door burst down, Tan leaping up with his sword drawn, slashing at shadowed figures, but he fell to the ground, his life severed. The she saw her daughter, she sat in a dark room, tears reflecting some unseen light, but it was soon her end as well. "What is this?" She asked, her voice cracking as she was racked with tears, not of sadness, but of rage.  
  
"This is the future."  
  
"No . . .no . . .it can't be, it just can't. That can't happen." She denied, still searching for the voice. Turning quickly she ran from it, leaving the mocking voice behind, denying it all. It wasn't real, it couldn't be.  
  
"But it is my dear. Your part to play in these affairs is done." At this the squirrel maid froze, the words held only one meaning for her.  
  
"What?" She asked in a shocked voice. Slowly she began backing away from the voice. She'd finally found it; slowly coming towards her in the form of a great moving shadow with it's bright purple eyes shining in the darkness almost glowing. As it stepped from the shadows it became clearer, it was a beast with a long flowing cloak on, it's eyes shining from beneath its hood. Then the last part of it stepped from the shadows.  
  
"Your part has been played." It stated as simple fact as the last part came from the realm of shadows. A huge scythe came from the black, polished and gleaming the shadow beast raised it high above her head, she knew she should run, but she didn't.  
  
"Why?" She asked, standing before the very incarnation of death itself and demanded the truth, some sort of curiosity or perhaps fear kept her rooted to the spot, staring into those eyes.  
  
"Tis the way." With those words the gigantic weapon cut through the air in a slow arc, she watched it as it made its journey. She felt it cut into her body and then there was nothingness, only the shadows and the everlasting cold.  
  


* * *

  
Tan felt his wife's paw go limp all of a sudden, she was gone, her spirit was already far from the room and he knew it. Her last words seemed to still hang in the air and he began wondering what she had meant. He looked at her, tears staining his cheeks and wondered what her last thoughts had been, had they been some beautiful dream? He hoped it had been.  
  
"Why?" He choked out. He sat at her side, running his paw through her fur, wishing her alive again, but he knew there was nothing he could do.  
  
"She said run." A voice pointed out.  
  
"From what?" Another voice asked, but it went unanswered as other voices came into the conversation.  
  
"This town?"  
  
"Life?"  
  
"Nana." They all began talking at once, wondering what it was that he had to run from. Then one voice spoke clearly above the rest.  
  
"The darkness. Take Nana and run." It spoke sensibly. It was right. Leaving his wife's side, he stepped outside the room, his tears had stopped and there was sudden determination in his eyes. He walked down the hall quickly, opening the door to his daughter's room he found her asleep in bed and the healer vixen, Riala, asleep in a chair next to the bed. Quietly he moved to his daughter bed, scooping her into his arms carefully, trying not to wake her. He slipped out the bedroom door and then to the outside. With a last look he too off into the night, running from the coming shadow. 


	14. Part Two, Chapter Fourteen

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Fourteen~  
  
"All I'm saying is that we should think about it." A tall, lanky ferret whispered quietly to his friend, a female ferret as they marched down the path. They were at the head of the army, dangerously close to the second in command, Jalin.  
  
"You know what would happen if they caught us. That enough should be your answer." The female ferret answered back in a whisper. She wore a long black garb that identified herself as a scout and a spy, one of the higher- ranking soldiers in the army of Viand.  
  
"Come on Kisha. Viand probably wouldn't even notice, besides you know you don't want to be here any more then I do." He whispered back, keeping his eyes upon the road ahead. He too wore similar clothing that revealed him to be in Kisha's group. Anybeast watching couldn't tell the two were talking and their low tones revealed nothing of what was said.  
  
"Yes, but you've seen what that scum does. Jalin wouldn't hesitate a moment to do that to us." She shuddered visibly; she'd seen what the ferret had done with some poor mouse in order to get information he desired. Needless to say the mouse didn't live top tell about it, but a small stain on blood on the ferret's whip was a reminder of it. She stared up to where the ferret marched; his steel plated whip slung over one shoulder, nearly every inch of it was covered in bloodstains, as were the ferret's paws. "Trev, we can't."  
  
"Look at all the soldiers who have. Two went this morning." Trev pointed out. It was true, over the past few days since they had left the camp near Redwall Abbey they had seen many of their comrades disappeared. Rumors had spread about their desertion.  
  
"It's only a rumor, for all we know they could be dead. Jalin could have even found them out and murdered them." She shuddered at the thought; she had known a few of those who had gone missing.  
  
"Maybe, but still . . ." Trev sighed, she had a good point, but he wanted to keep his small hope alive, after all he wasn't a willing member of the army. He'd received a choice between slavery, death and serving in the army and he'd taken the army. It was better then what could have happened, but he was on the lookout for any means of escape.  
  
"Halt!" Came the order, loud and clear through the cool air. Immediately the entire army had come to a stop, soft murmurs echoed through the crowds. Swiftly, both Kisha and Trev pushed themselves through to the front of the army and that's when they saw.  
  
"Who would do that?" Kisha gasped as she saw it, a wooden post had been driven into the road and tied to it was the motionless form of a scout, one of the ones she happened to know. The post was drenched with the corpse's blood; the dirt around it was wet with it as well. It looked to be quite old; a trail of ants was already crawling all over it.  
  
"How could they?" Trev murmured, the corpse was formerly that of a weasel they had known, no a horrible beast, he'd been like them. Serving unwillingly and now it seemed that he had indeed escaped the life of a soldier in the worst possible way. Jalin walked up to the dead beast slowly, his deadly whip trailing behind him on the ground, ready to use should he need it.  
  
"What's he doing?" Kisha whispered to Trev, fighting an urge to throw up at the sight of he former friend.  
  
"There's a message stuck to him." Trev answered with disgust plainly obvious in his voice. Jalin quickly removed the knife, previously belonging to the dead weasel, from the corpse's chest and took the note. His eyes opened wide as he read the note and quickly he darted through the ranks towards King Viand.  
  
"What do ye suppose it said?" Trev wondered aloud.  
  
"Can't be anything good . . ." Kisha answered with a sigh.  
  


* * *

  
Viand watched as the ferret pushed through the crowds of soldiers to where he marched, surrounded by his personal slaves and bodyguards. The ferret carried a bloodied piece of parchment as well as the dagger that had pinned it to the corpse, but it was the look on Jalin's face that caught the king's eye. The ferret had a look of absolute rage that was far from the ordinary sneer.  
  
"What's the holdup Jalin?" Viand asked in a calm tone.  
  
"Come we must discuss this away from the troops." Jalin beckoned Viand to follow him as he went to the side of the path and a bit into the woods so they were out of earshot, but not out of sight.  
  
"What is it?" Viand demanded from the ferret, a bit angry at their progress being slowed.  
  
"Somebeast set up a post in the middle of the road . . ." Jalin began.  
  
"And?" Viand tapped his foot paw slowly, wishing to be under way once more.  
  
"One of our soldiers was tied to it, this was pinned to it." Jalin shoved the bloodied piece of parchment towards his leader and Viand quickly snatched it away, reading it over quickly.  
  
"We move on now, tell no beast of this." He ordered quickly, but before Jalin left he stopped him, his voice the definition on buried rage. "Send out the hunters."  
  
"Yes sir." Jalin quickly saluted and went about his business. Viand tossed away the note and walked back to his position amidst his soldiers and slaves, reasserting his cool, calm demeanor and slowly they began to march once more. The bloodied piece of paper floated to the ground slowly, the words written in blood plainly showing in the light of day.  
  
'A life for a life, turn back now for you shall mark your path with graves.' They were simple words, but straight to the point. It was a threat plain and simple.  
  


* * *

  
"Look he's back." Kisha whispered softly, watching as Jalin moved to take his place once more at the head of the army, but before he got there he moved next them.  
  
"You two." He pointed to both Kisha and Trev in turn.  
  
"Yes sir." Both of them saluted the ferret in unison.  
  
"Organize the hunters and scout ahead. Find and kill whoever did that." Jalin ordered in an utterly emotionless tone of voice and then took his place at the head of the army. Slowly both Kisha and Trev gathered their group of spies and scouts known as 'the hunters' and moved to the side of the path.  
  
"We hunt tonight, stick to the back of the army." Their leader, an aging rat named Jethro ordered them in his calm voice, keeping his voice low, only for their ears.  
  


* * *

  
"Know what happened?" Aren asked an otter next to him. The army had stopped for the night; the slaves were resting as their rations were given out slowly, the slave cooks going down the line. Bonfires burned brightly, lighting up the entire camp, the hunters were gone, lost in the shadows of night.  
  
"Not sure." The otter responded. "Been hearin' rumors all day, somebeast killin' off all of Viand's hunters an' scouts or somethin'." The otter shrugged heavily as he received his meal, a simple soup.  
  
"Y'mean we've got an ally out there?" Aren perked up a little, an ally could mean freedom and even a few days of slavery was horror. It was however common knowledge that it could and was going to get much worse for them, rumors had been spread about what they were going to do when they reached their destination.  
  
"Ally, mebbe." The otter shrugged heavily before starting on his soup. "Anybeast that's against Viand could be helpful to us. Then again we may jus' get punished for their actions." The otter sighed and leaned back against a tree, trying to get comfortable. Aren looked up to find that Jimene had sat down beside him.  
  
"Heard about that too?" She asked while beginning her soup.  
  
"Yep." Aren sighed. "Hope it's some beast that's on our side."  
  
"Yeah. Me too." Jimene's eyes were filled with tears as they had been since the day of their captures, she was thinking about her husband, Aren's late Skipper of Otter's. Aren glanced over towards the otter widow as the silence grew; she had a far away look in he eyes, probably lost in memories.  
  
"Yeah . . ." He trailed off into silence as memories of his sister came to the surface, partly haunting him and partly comforting him. They were good memories, good time, but they seemed so far away as if they were now apart of some other world, some other life. It wasn't like they were his own anymore, but it was as if he was watching some other beast's life. Finishing off his meager rations he laid down to rest, hoping that a new day would bring some sort of clarity to his confused world.  
  


* * *

  
It was certainly a dark night deep in the forest where the hunter's prowled, looking for the murderer of their comrade. They were finding nothing, the darkness making it difficult to move about or see anything in general, but they were making progress. They scoured the woods in an ever- expanding circle, hunting in pairs so no beast could get the drop on them. Kisha and Trev had been paired up together and they had been moving steadily outward since they had begun the search.  
  
"Anything?" Kisha asked, glancing about nervously. They had both stopped in the same tree, talking in such hushed whispers that the wind did not carry it.  
  
"Not a thing. Should we head back?" Trev wondered aloud.  
  
"And have Jalin tear into us? No." The wind blew through the trees, rustling leaves and sending a chill down each ones spine, all the way to the tips of tails.  
  
"Creepy night ain't it?" Trev asked glancing up at the full moon that lighted their way.  
  
"Definitely." Kisha glanced about as another gust of wind swept through the forest, trees groaned and leaves rustled. The moon sat above in the sky, its hue was a deathly pale white with splotches of gray and black. It almost looked like a skull looking down upon them from the heavens. "C'mon, let's keep moving." With that Kisha took off through the trees with Trev in close pursuit and so they went through the forest until suddenly Kisha stopped and dropped to the forest floor.  
  
'Kisha, what're you doing?' Trev thought as, keeping silent, he made his way to the tree from which Kisha had dropped down, glancing downwards all he could see was darkness, the moonlight didn't reach below the forest canopy.  
  
"Kisha?" He called below, the wind carrying it away as the tree rocked below the ferret's paws, almost knocking him from the tree. After letting the wind settle he slid down the front of the tree to land on the forest's floor, but he did not find Kisha. She was a ghost nowhere to be found, lost in the shadows.  
  
"Kisha?" Trev called again, removing a dagger from his belt just in case the murderer happened to be out there somewhere, hiding in the dark. Suddenly a figure passed by, shooting from a bush to another one, but the ferret couldn't what or who it was.  
  
"Show yourself!" He menaced the bush with his dagger, his paw was steady from training, but he was scared, memories of his friend, tied to the post dead were fresh in his memory.  
  
"Fine." A voice answered, but as Trev turned to meet it he found the shadow upon him and felt a blade dig its way through his fur, skin and into his body. Looking up he could see who had gotten him and he couldn't believe it, she had been right, Kisha had been dead right. 


	15. Part Two, Chapter Fifteen

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Fifteen~  
  
Jinelle watched the rise and fall of the ferret's chest as he slept; her breathing was heavy and ragged, her paws running over the edge of her blade. She stared at the still form of her former love, wondering how she could do what she was planning, but the reason was clear. It wasn't him anymore, hadn't been for a long time and it probably wouldn't ever be again, it was that damn vixen's fault. She had been the beginning of it all, but Jinelle would be the end, she knew that.  
  
"Why did it have to come to this?" She wondered aloud in a quiet whisper, not daring to raise her voice at all for fear of the ferret's wraith. It was a rhetorical question though; the answer was one she had come up with over the past season, the questions always leading to the same decision, the same conclusion every single time. Sighing she glanced at the blade again, watching as her eyes became filled with tears as she thought back to that season when their lives had been cut.  
  


* * *

  
It had been during summer, when he would go on hunting missions in the woods surrounding their home, leaving Jinelle alone to do what she wished. She had been expecting it to be like any other day, the hunters would come back successful, most of the time at least, and all would be fine. Something had gone wrong that day though, of the over two score that had left, only about six came alive. Most injured, all scarred mentally by whatever had happened, all of them wee covered with splattered blood.  
  
"What happened?" She had asked as he fallen against a wall, sliding down with his eyes wide open in shock, but he couldn't say anything. He was a mute, only able to shake his head in disbelief, bloodstained dagger still clutched in his shaking paws. Many of the hunters went insane that night, either killing themselves or having to be killed by others of their horde. Their story was lost with those deaths, for the lone survivor of them, Jinelle's love, had fallen into a deep sleep.  
  
"So dark . . ." That was all he had said during those times, whispering it as he fought in fevered dreams, Jinelle always at his side even after their healer had said that there was no way the ferret could live.  
  
"It'll be alright, it'll be alright." That was her constant cadence, as she tried to reassure herself as well as her love, but it never worked, he was in another world, while she was stuck with her pain. Then, came the vixen, the one who had started it all. She was a unique beast, hailing far from the northlands, the vixen was unlike any Jinelle had ever laid eyes upon. The vixen had walked in one day, her thick, blue-white winter coat flowing like liquid as she moved, she had walked into the room and put a comforting paw upon Jinelle's shoulder.  
  
"I know what you desire. I have the answer you seek." She had said as Jinelle studied her. She had been a very small fox, much smaller then the norm, giving her an almost childlike innocence if it hadn't been for her eyes. They were a very light gray, almost white as if she were blind, but they shone with a clear intelligence, with the experience of many seasons.  
  
"What?" She had asked, surprised by the vixen's sudden appearance at her side.  
  
"My name is Aideen, I am a healer from the south lands." She explained, already going about getting out her things from a large pack she had on her back. "I know what your husbands affliction is as well as the cure for it. I can help you, but there is a price involved I'm afraid."  
  
"A price?" Jinelle had echoed the vixen, she had experience with healers, having been an apprentice at one point in her life, but never had there ever been a price. "Whatever it is, I'll pay it." She answered with absolute certainty; if the vixen could help Jinelle would do anything.  
  
"My dear, it is not a price for you to pay, but it is rather a consequence of the cure, a part of his affliction as well." She explained, bringing a strange, foul-smelling concoction out of her bag.  
  
"But it will cure him, right?" Jinelle asked nervously, the vixen half nodded.  
  
"It will cure him." She had answered, Jinelle had stepped back allowing the vixen to work on her husband, as she stood back hoping that vixen's cure would work. She stood there for what seemed like hours, watching intently as the healer worked her magic, but though the vixen never seemed to show any emotions it was obvious that there were problems. Jinelle simply watched from behind the vixen, staying silent, helpless to do anything at all as Aideen worked quietly, mumbling a few words to herself every once in a while. Nearly seven days had gone by before the vixen finished working her magic, then she simply stopped and began to gather up her things.  
  
"You're done?" Jinelle asked, surprised by Aideen's actions, but she only nodded as she continued to collect he things, carefully placing them back into the bag.  
  
"I have done all that I can. It is his fight now . . ." She trailed off as she finished packing, but Jinelle had grabbed her by the arm before the vixen could leave, her eyes filled with desperation. "It will either work in a day or it won't, there is nothing more to do, but wait." With that the vixen left, slipping out of Jinelle's grip, disappearing into the dark, never to be seen by them again.  
  
The day passed by, Jinelle hadn't dared sleep for fear that he would slip away from her, but then as the final hour rolled by the cure worked. Jinelle was relieved, joyful as her husband regained consciousness and they found themselves in each others company after so much time apart, it had felt like ages had passed. There was a burst of joy in their relationship, a constant reassurance that everything was indeed all right and a brief time everything was perfect, the incident forgotten. From there on it had been all down hill, he was different somehow, detached from the world, a separate being, dark and brooding at first. Steadily it worsened, they began to drift apart from each other, with only Jinelle fighting for it as he pushed himself away from her.  
  
And then came the journey, Viand began to move their horde, families as well as the lone beasts, from it's home in the midlands. They found themselves on a constant journey northwards, the horde steadily growing in size as they added other hordes as well as the one thing Viand had been against, they had begun to take slaves. It started with small group of mice at first, but steadily growing until they had a great chain of slaves following closely and suddenly they were a terror of the land. Soon she found herself in chains, her husband now a ruthless warlord of sorts and finally she found herself standing over his sleeping body with a knife clutched in her paws.  
  


* * *

  
"What am I doing?" She asked herself again, watching as the moonlight shimmered off the metal edge of the blade and onto the tent wall. Reassuring herself once again of why she was doing it, she began moving slowly towards the ferret's sleeping form, one paw clutching the blade handle while the other held her chains still, preventing them from alerting him. Moving as quickly as she could she reached the bed's side and place the blade to the ferret's throat, making she it didn't touch before she was ready. Taking a deep breath she readied the blade, unable to watch her own crime she closed her eyes and pressed the blade into the ferret's throat, the creature she had called her love. Jinelle pulled the dagger down in a swift motion, but there was nothing there and she suddenly found herself face down on the bed, her own dagger to her throat.  
  
"What are ye doin' Jinelle?" He whispered into her ear, his voice filled with repressed anger. He was holding her down, digging the blade into throat drawing a line of red across it as he dug an elbow into her spine painfully. Jinelle winced from the pain, forced into an odd position as she tried to keep her throat off the knife blade, but the ferret simply pushed it up more. "I asked ye, what're you doin'?" He demanded, the anger becoming more and more obvious in his voice, as he dug the blade in further.  
  
"I have to stop this Jalin, this isn't right." She answered, her voice choked, strained by the knife against her throat.  
  
"This is for us Jinelle, this is the way things are." He replied, the anger fading from his voice, as he fought back the rage that threatened to consume his. Slowly, keeping a paw on her arm, he let her up. "This has always been for the greater good. It's for us all."  
  
"Why Jalin, why?" Jinelle struggled against the stronger ferret's grip, but it was a futile struggle. She was stuck there until Jalin decided otherwise.  
  
"What do you mean why? I told you, this is for us." He muttered angrily, the rage slowly beginning to seep back in once again.  
  
"Why this?" Jinelle angrily held up the chains, her point made clearer as the metal chains clinked against one another noisily.  
  
"Why this?" Jalin shot back, holding up the bloodied knife.  
  
"I had to do what is right." The ferret maid answered, glaring at the ferret that had once been her love, but it was no more. Shaking her head, she realized that he was truly gone, blinded to the truth by whatever consequences the vixen had spoke of. She now wished that the vixen hadn't worked her cure, she almost wished that Jalin could have just died in peace instead of being brought back as the creature he now was.  
  
"So killing me would be the right thing then?" Jalin asked with a mutter, his paw gripping the blade angrily. His eyes suddenly glinting dangerously, filled with anger. He was shaking, his grip on Jinelle's arm tightened. "Why Jinelle? Just tell me that? At least give me that much . . ." He whispered, his voice suddenly devoid emotion, his body shaking lightly.  
  
"You're not you anymore, the beast I used to know is dead and gone." Jinelle replied in a whisper, her voice mirroring Jalin's, utterly emotionless. "I don't know who the hell you are, but I know that you are not supposed to be here." She hissed, bringing herself right up to Jalin, her eyes filled with hate and sorrow, but behind that was a determination.  
  
"So be it." Jalin hissed back and let go of the ferret maid's wrist, with her freedom now she moved back a single pace before it happened, his movements all a blur, she saw him come at her and suddenly she found herself slipping to the floor. Everything began to shift, a gentle fog settled over her senses and everything began to turn white, the world suddenly a blank. Her paw moved downwards to grip the blade, the length of it thrust deep into her chest, slicing into her heart. She felt her own life flowing from her as the organ beat its last and she found herself staring at the only thing not taken by her impending death. She found herself looking at her life, memories flowing through her mind as the darkness settled around her and then there was nothing. Absolute darkness and nothing more.  
  


* * *

  
Jalin looked down at the maid, her paws clutched around the handle of the blade that had snuffed out her life. He knelt down by her side, glancing over her now still body; her eyes had already clouded over in death, already devoid of the light. Taking in a deep breath, he ran a paw over the maid's face, closing her eyes forever. Moving slowly removed the blade from her chest with the utmost care, watching as the silver emerged inch by inch from the crimson blood. He stood up, holding the edge up to the moonlight that filtered in through the door, he watched as it glowed red.  
  
"What have I done?" Jalin asked himself, his eyes were blank, his voice carrying no emotion. He was a shell of beast; he looked at his paw, watching as the blood flowed down the hilt of the blade onto his wrist, staining the fur there a deep red. Shaking slightly he let the blade fall to the ground and dropped to his knees, a look of shock on his face.  
  


* * *

  
Morning came and the horde began to pack up, beasts readying their supplies for the long days journey ahead. None of them noticed the small pile of freshly turned dirt by the side of the road, carefully smoothed, marked only by a newly polished blade gleaming in the new day's sun. 


	16. Part Two, Chapter Sixteen

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Sixteen~  
  
Riala awoke to find darkness; she had fallen asleep in a small chair next to Nana's bed. Sighing the vixen rose from her chair and padded out of the room softly, giving the small lump in the bed only a fleeting glance. She moved down the hall, her eyes adjusting to the darkness as she went, and stopped before the door that she had been in earlier. She knocked on the door softly, but there was no reply.  
  
"Hello?" She moved into the room to find it empty of all life. Glancing to the bed she found that her patient had indeed succumbed to the disease as many others had, she moved to the squirrel maid's side and looked down into her sightless eyes. The twin orbs stared up at the ceiling, a mixture of pain and fright were clearly frozen in them. Unable to bear the cold staring eyes Riala took a paw and gently closed the maid's eyes. She was to see no more.  
  
"Why did it have to come to this?" She wondered aloud, glancing at the now empty vessel that lay there motionless under the sheets, before she sat down in a chair, picking up her small book. The pages were filled with the vixen's observations on the disease, she had overseen many cases, every single one she had failed her charges. They all had dies under the stress of the disease and Riala had no clues as to a cure or even what it was, but still she had to continue her work.  
  
Sighing she sat back in the chair, going over all of the notes on what she had observed in the patients and after jotting down a few observations on the latest victim she saw that it always followed the same exact pattern with little difference it the times. Another small note in the upper corner was her worst observation, a rather large tally of beast's she had seen, all of who were now six feet below the soil.  
  
The mysterious disease had claimed five hundred and sixty three souls in less then a season. Riala looked at her paws, they had seen too much death. She had come to the town in which she practiced to get away from the pain and death that haunted her, but it seems it had followed. With a sigh she laid back in the chair and closed her eyes, morning would come soon, bringing with it more bad news.  
  


* * *

  
The vixen awoke yet again to a pitch-black room; the small lantern that had lit the room had burnt out leaving her to be engulfed by the shadows. Riala rose from her seat, something was wrong, it couldn't still be night. She glanced at the window to find that it was completely black out, not a trace of moonlight or even the torches that normally burned outside. Rising she felt her way around the bed and then she found it or rather the lack of. Abie's body was gone from the bed; it was neatly made and empty.  
  
"What?" The healer whispered softly and quickly made her way to the door and stumbled out into the hall where it was obvious to all that something was definitely wrong. The walls of the hall were a strange gray color, like that of a stone, and so were the floors, at the end of the hall a bright shaft of light spread across one part of the hallway, just outside Nana's room.  
  
"This isn't real . . . is it?" Riala asked aloud to no beast in particular and shivering lightly she made her way towards the large square of light. Walking slowly and carefully to moved to the door and opened it slowly, being wary of every sound she heard and nervous for those she didn't.  
  
"Nana?" She whispered softly, but received no reply. The room seemed normal, a quick glance backwards and she found that the hall was normal now that the light had seemingly vanished.  
  
"Nana?" Riala repeated herself, a bit of urgency in her voice as fearful thoughts crept through her mind, imagined scenes of death playing out before her. Moving quickly to the bed, she saw that the lump that was Nana was still in bed and she gave out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Nana?" She repeated in a calmer voice and began pulling back the covers slowly. She glanced beneath the covers and then jumped back in shock, pushing herself back against the wall. The bed was completely empty; the young squirrel maid was nowhere to be seen. The covers slowly settled on the bed once again, perfectly flat and clean. With fright filling her eyes the vixen glanced around the world, it was empty and she was alone, but then she heard it.  
  
"Riala." A voice echoed through the room, disturbingly familiar, but the healer couldn't place it. Stepping away from the wall, she moved quickly to the door, her breaths coming in ragged, nervous gasps. Moving into the hall she stopped short in the threshold in between the hall and Nana's room, she could hear a soft sound, barely noticeable. Somebeast was crying, as soft as it was she recognized the sound immediately, as sad as that fact was.  
  
"Hello?" She choked out, her voice strangled by fear. She heard the sound more clearly now as if it were coming closer. Then out in a square of light she saw it, a perfect paw print on the floor, clear and slowly moving with the sound of crying, but that wasn't the worst of it. There coming towards her were the steps, made of blood, dark red and glistening in the light. She stared at them, frozen by fright as they drew nearer and nearer before they curved and disappeared beneath the door she stood at.  
  
"Riala." The voice from before echoed once more, but now it came from within Nana's room and she recognized it. It was Nana; her voice was a strained, almost sickly groan, just like her mothers had been when the disease began to run its course. Immediately she turn and stepped into the room to find that it had changed. It was no longer empty; Nana lay in her bed under the covers, looking almost exactly as her mother had a few hours ago in the moments before her soul was claimed for the dark forest.  
  
"Nana?" She asked, unsure of the reality. She glanced around the room some more as she stepped to the squirrel maid's side. It was no longer night, Riala glanced outside of the window to find the sun shining in brightly, the brightly colored leaves of fall swirled about in the dirt streets of the town, but the vixen's attention was fully focused upon her young charge.  
  
"Missus Riala?" The young maid asked, glancing around the room, unable to see anything. The same way as countless before her in the days before the disease ran it's course fully.  
  
"Yes, I'm here." Riala took the maid's paw in her own, trying to reassure somewhat even though she knew there was no assurance.  
  
"Where did everyone go?" Nana asked in a soft, choked whisper, glancing around with he now sightless eyes for somebeast.  
  
"We're here Nana. It's okay." Riala patted the young maids paw in an attempt to comfort her, it was all she could do, all she could ever do for them. She sighed a bit, smiling at the young squirrel, she wished she could change places with the maid so she could suffer it rather then watch the suffering. She glanced to the wooden nightstand to find something or rather three somethings that she hadn't seen before. There on the stand was a leather bound book, extremely thick and heavy looking with an intricately designed engraving made of circles gracing the cover. The pages looked very worn and yellowing with age, a thin coat of dust covered it making it look even older; a few pages were loose from their bindings. Next to it a small empty vial made of glass stood.  
  
'What's this?' Riala wondered silently, picking up the book she glanced at the cover, the symbol had been carefully dyed blue and seemed to almost glow in the sunlight.  
  
"Is everything all right Missus Riala?" Nana asked in her soft voice, the vixen healer could actually hear the trust in the maid's voice for her and she found herself at a loss for an answer. To tell her the truth or to keep her in ignorance she could not decide, but either way the burden was hers to bear.  
  
"I'm not sure Nana. I jus' don't know. Don't worry though . . ." The vixen began, petting the young maid's head fur, trying to comfort her, as her mother would have. "Everything will turn out all right." She finished and then suddenly she heard something, a loud, piercing sound from outside.  
  
"What is it Missus Riala?" Nana asked before she began a coughing fit. Riala dashed around the bed and stared outside, the fall scene had disappeared into a gray fog, blood red snow fell from the heavens to the ground and an eerie red glow filled the street.  
  
"I . . ." She began, but never finished as a flaming arrow broke the window before her, streaking straight at the bed. With a gasp she turned around to find that the room had been engulfed in flames and Nana was a ghost nowhere to be found as the bed and room turned to ashes. The entire building crumbled around the vixen and she found her self standing in a pile of ashes, bloodied snow falling on her, dampening her fur and sending shivers through her body with their cold. She watched in awe as the mists swirled about, her normally golden colored fur slowly turning red, she stared at the blood that stained her paws a dark crimson.  
  
The vixen stared as the ashes of the former building swirled about her in the winds and disappeared into darkness. She found herself alone; her only company was the shadows that seemed to dance around her, threatening to engulf her at any moment. Then she heard it again, the soft sound of some beast crying, they were unfamiliar tears though. Moving carefully along Riala followed the sounds, winding along the dirt path through town that was seemingly absent of all life, the homes all burnt to ash, trees and plants gone, all that was left was a scattering of debris and the scorched landscape.  
  
"Why?" A voice asked, echoing in the darkness, breaking through the tears for a moment. The shadows parted to reveal; a single untouched building built of gray stones, stained glass shining with a light from the inside. Cautiously the vixen looked around before stepping up to the building, she didn't recognize it or the pictures set in the stained glass.  
  
They depicted strange creatures, almost demonic looking beast's, all dressed in flowing black cloaks save for one figure at the very top of the door, a circular piece of glass showed a pretty looking otter maid dressed in a red and white cloak, as if it were stained with blood and behind her was a shadowy figure wielding some sort of blade. Riala shuddered, it was almost as if the otter maid's eyes were staring at he, she couldn't bear those eyes upon her. Pushing on the door lightly she opened the door carefully until she could just barely slip inside and she found it to be very different from it's exterior.  
  
"What is this?" The healer asked no beast in particular, but she received no answers. The buildings was completely white on the inside, well lit and clean looking, it seemed almost seemed to be a pure white void before her. Rows of white benches lined a great hall that ended with a great shapeless statue; on the inside the stained glass showed a great many kinds beasts, all with their eyes on the statue. Following the eyes she walked quickly down the center aisle of the benches.  
  
"What happened?" Riala stopped at the sound of a voice as it asked a question her, glancing to her side she saw a young beast, a ferret well out of his younger years, but still seemed to be very much inexperienced in the ways of the world. The ferret reminded her of the figure in the window on the outside, he was dressed in a similar black cloak.  
  
"What do you mean?" Riala asked, still in the aisle, wary of the mysterious ferret.  
  
"Everyone is gone now." The ferret stated simply.  
  
"I . . ." Riala began, but the ferret cut her off quickly.  
  
" . . .Don't know." He finished her sentence. "No beast wants to answer that. You should go as well, join the others." The ferret observed, pointing back the door.  
  
"Others?" She asked, curious. "Where have they all gone?" Riala demanded, making her way down the bench towards the ferret, but he gave no answers, merely smiled. "Who are you?"  
  
"Me? My name is Avel." The ferret answered and then pointed to the vixen. "Riala?"  
  
"Yes." She answered, confused by the fact that the ferret knew her, but that wasn't her biggest fear. "Where have they gone?"  
  
"Away, where you should be. The shadows are coming, you should escape while you still can or your fate is sealed." Avel answered, his tone was that of sincerity and even a hint of worry for Riala.  
  
"Why?" She asked again, putting her paw on the ferret's shoulder, it was cold, almost deathly feeling.  
  
"That is a question no beast seems to be able to answer." Avel smiled and then there was a loud crash, Riala turned quickly to find that the stature had fallen over and shattered upon the ground. Turning back she found an empty bench, nothing left to prove if the ferret's existence was true or not, shuddering from the cold she slowly collapsed on the bench. Exhaustion overtaking her she slipped from consciousness.  
  


* * *

  
Then Riala found herself awake once more, but for real this time, She wondered about the dream, it had all been so real, but in the same moment, absolutely unreal. Rubbing her eyes with a paw, she blinked them quickly and stared at the ceiling, the morning's light playing across the ceiling.  
  
"What was all of that?" She wondered aloud, she was sitting once more in the chair next to Nana's bed, but glancing over she found that it was empty once more. Bolting straight up out of the chair she realized that Nana really was gone, the bed was made neatly, the room empty of all, but her and outside fell the brightly colored leaves of fall. Slowly she watched as one leaf in particular, a crimson colored leaf fell through the air and came to rest on the windowsill.  
  
With that last reminder she made up her mind. She had to get every beast away and she had to do it quickly, she could feel the coming evils.  
  


* * *

  
Samuel, the unofficial town leader had just awoken from his slumber, it had been dreamless and only filled with his worries. The aged mouse had been watching as his friends and even some of his family had slowly begun dying from that disease. He had faith in the healer to find some way to cure them and rid the town of the mysterious bringer of death, but his faith had been slowly waning as the trails of tears grew and they began to bury a beast or two near every day.  
  
He walked to the window, from it he could see the hill where they were buried, dozens and dozens of graves were dug on the hill, stones marking them. It was a painful memory for the mouse, his own child was buried there, and he could even point out the stone that marked that particular grave. The beasts of the town had even gone so far as to have fresh graves dug for those who were to die, Samuel sighed heavily, but then looked up as he saw Riala, the healer, running through the town towards his house as if all the demons of hell were chasing her.  
  
"Samuel!" She called, banging on the front door. The mouse was surprised at the vixen's behavior for he had never seen it in all of the seasons he had known her. He quickly opened the door, the vixen dashed in, closing the door behind her in one swift movement.  
  
"What is it Riala?" The mouse asked, he was worried for she had a look of absolute terror on her face.  
  
"We have to leave, get everyone out of here." She stated clearly with no doubt in her voice, it was one of absolute certainty.  
  
"What? Why?" Samuel asked, putting a paw on the vixen's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, she was most definitely on edge, her fur was on end and her eyes darted about nervously.  
  
"There's something coming, I don't know what, but we have to get everyone to safety." Riala answered, gripping the mouse tightly.  
  
"How do you know this?" Samuel wondered aloud, trying to pry off the vixen's paws.  
  
"I don't know, some sort of premonition. I've had them before . . .they're never wrong." She stated, it was, after all, the truth. She had served as a seer for many seasons before finding peace in the town as a simple healer.  
  
"What was it of?" Samuel asked, not completely sure of the vixen's thoughts, if it were just a dream or something more then that.  
  
"Something came, I don't know what, but everyone was gone . . .everything was ashes . . ." She stuttered, trying to remember the details of the dream.  
  
"I can't ask every beast to run because of a dream."  
  
"You have to try. For every beast's sake." She was being completely sincere and it was obvious to the mouse. "They'll listen to you."  
  
"I can try." He nodded, but he was still wondering. Not everybeast would so readily abandon their homes based on a vixen's dreams and a few would not follow her advice based on old hatreds that ran through their histories. Samuel glanced out the window, they town beast's bustled about their daily activities, but somewhere off in the distance Samuel could see the storm clouds building. 


	17. Part Two, Chapter Seventeen

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Seventeen~  
  
Trev awoke, his head throbbing painfully, to find himself in the dark with nothing, but the pain in his shoulder that served to remind him of what had. Trying to move a bit he found that his paws were bound as well as his foot paws, he was a prisoner now. Glancing about slowly he found that he was alone in some sort of cave, a light breeze that swept over him told him he had to be somewhere near the entrance. Struggling upright, he leaned against the wall of the cave, wincing a bit as he hit his wounded shoulder, which had apparently been bound with some sort of cloth.  
  
The ferret waited for a little while for his eyes to adjust, but even then he could only see very faint outlines in the near total darkness, but among those he thought he saw somebeast lying against the opposite cave wall, but he heard no sounds of life, no soft breathing and no snores of a beast asleep. Trev was most definitely alone in the dark with his thoughts, his fears chief among them, mainly his fears for Kisha. He didn't know what had happened to her, he wasn't even sure what had happened the night before, he had gotten hit pretty hard against a tree or the ground and gotten knocked out just after his assailant's blade a cut through his shoulder.  
  
Then it hit him, he had recognized his assailant in the moonlight or at least he thought he had. He had seen Jalin with a dagger drawn, but Trev knew it couldn't have been the cruel ferret commander for if it had been he would not still be alive. That was another puzzle for Trev to solve, why was he still alive? It was possible that he would be used as a hostage in some beast's game, but not Jalin's, it wasn't the ferret's style to take hostages. It was most definitely not in the ferret's character to attempt to heal his victims, Trev's shoulder ached steadily to remind him, but the strange thing was that it had been mended badly by somebeast with little knowledge of healing.  
  
Jalin would have left no witnesses and Trev knew that to be a definite fact. He had been a seen the ferret's cruel, sadistic methods on a prisoner in order to extract information, needless to say the mouse did not live to tell the tale, not that one would want to live through the ferret's torture. Death was a blessed gift of relief to any under Viand's metal plated whip and Jalin made sure to put them out of their misery and that was probably the ferret's only redeeming quality. He would enjoy the pain, but he wouldn't keep any beast in agony past their point of usefulness, as cruel as it sounded it was a good thing for his victims.  
  
"Hello?" Trev called, but his voice was hoarse and raspy, his mouth was completely dry from the lack of water and the night's breeze. Coughing a bit as he tried to clear his voice, he stared in the direction that the light breeze came from, waiting for some beast to appear. Near silent the ferret heard some beast's soft paw steps as they winded down into the cave, it echoed off the cave walls quietly, nearly drowned out by the wind.  
  
"Hello?" Trev called again, his voice was clearer, but a hint of anxiety had crept into his tone. A paw quickly shot from the dark to cover his mouth and prevent him from saying anymore.  
  
"Quiet!" A familiar voice hissed softly into his ear. Trev remained silent and still, rather then struggle with the shadow beast. He heard the quiet sound of a blade being drawn and then felt his bonds give out and fall away; quickly he stood up and began to stretch out his sore limbs that had been put in an awkward position by the cloth bindings, but before he could his rescuer grabbed his paw in a vice-like grip and pulled him towards the cave entrance.  
  
"Kisha!" He recognized his friend as soon as they got outside.  
  
"Shh!" She hissed and motioned for him to follow her as she made a path away from the small cave, which Trev now saw was cleverly hidden in the roots of an old great oak.  
  


* * *

  
After the pair had been walking for quite a while, keeping their motions swift and silent as they had been taught, they reached a small pond where there were the remnants of Kisha's campfire, he belongings near the ashes. The pond was set in the middle of a small clearing, tall trees shielding it from the sky, bordering its waters on all sides. Both Trev and Kisha moved to the side where her pack lay, still remaining absolutely silent, their eyes constantly watching every little detail, every slight movement of the trees and brush.  
  
"We safe?" Trev asked in a soft whisper, daring not to let his voice grow any louder without Kisha's consent, fearing the Jalin would find them. Kisha sighed with relief, glancing around the clearing quickly before she nodded her consent, finding that they were alone to themselves.  
  
"What happened back there?" Kisha asked surprising Trev, he figured she would have known since she couldn't have been too far from him when he had gotten attacked.  
  
"I was attacked, what do you think?" His voice was a bit exasperated as well as confused, it wasn't like Kisha to me left in the dark about anything, she almost always had all the answers which was why Trev normally found himself depending on the ferret maid despite the similarity in their age.  
  
"I didn't know, I lost you last night and towards morning I found somebeast dragging you beneath that tree so I came and rescued you." Kisha explained, but there was something about her tone that Trev couldn't trust, something she was hiding and it wasn't like her to do that either.  
  
"Okay." Trev sat down heavily by the side of the lake, sighing deeply.  
  
"Hm?" Kisha came over and stood next to her friend, but it was obvious something was wrong. Her paw had already strayed to her dagger already in preparation for something, but Trev knew what she would use it for. It was specific dagger for a specific task.  
  
"What is going on her? You're hiding something." Trev stared at the pond, his voice was suddenly strong and unwavering, as if he were completely sure of what was coming.  
  
""You're right there." Kisha answered in a soft voice and Trev expected her dagger to be drawn any minute, but then she surprised him when he suddenly heard a small splash. He watched as her dagger slowly sank to the bottom of the pond, leaving both of them unarmed, both of them equals.  
  
"Okay then." Trev said nervously unsure of whether or not to trust the gesture of peace. "What happened last night, who was that?" The ferret demanded, standing up so he could look the maid straight the eye.  
  
"It's not Jalin if that's what you were thinking, I doubled back to our camp and Jalin was still there with Lord Viand while you were being captured. And about that other thing . . ." Kisha began, but Trev knew what she had done by the look on her face, she was seeking forgiveness for what she had done.  
  
"You used me for bait." Trev finished for her, he watched as she blushed and grinned apologetically.  
  
"Sorry?" Kisha asked, shrugging a little.  
  
"No need to apologize. I can't say I would have done the same, but you accomplished what you set out to do . . .and you didn't get me killed after all." Trev sighed, Kisha wasn't exactly a beast to be trusted, but she was loyal and most definitely not stupid. He knew that he couldn't have been in too much trouble and it obvious Kisha had planned at least part of it.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Trev asked, seeking the ferret maid's guidance since, after all, he was a follower and not a leader. Kisha glanced in the direction from which they had come before she began.  
  
"First there's a question I need to ask you. In order for me to trust you." Kisha explained.  
  
"For you to trust me. Question should be why in the name of hell's gates I still trust you? Why wouldn't you be able to trust me?" Trev demanded, a look of disbelief on his face. How could she not be able to trust him after she had used him as bait?  
  
"Remember what we were talking about?" Kisha asked, as her eyes became suddenly cold and calculating, watching every move, every gesture and every emotion that Trev put forth, trying to read him. It was skill taught to most of the more senior members of their group in order to pick out the traitors and remove them.  
  
"Back at camp?"  
  
"Yeah. Do you want to just leave, disappear and never look back on any of this?" Kisha put a paw on his shoulder, forcing them to stare into each other's eyes.  
  
"I think you know the answer to that."  
  
"Just tell me."  
  
"Of course. I hate that bastard as much as you do." Trev answered, he had good reasons to hate Viand as well as Jalin; Trev had lost many members of his family and friends in the army due to the two, in fact he was the only part of his family left that he knew of. A few of his siblings had deserted the army in attempts to escape from Viand's grip, but trackers had been sent after them with orders to bring them back alive or, as it was more likely to be, dead. They had brought back neither dead nor alive to his knowledge, but that didn't say much for the trackers could have come back with their heads in a bag.  
  
"Good because I need you to help me with something." Kisha said it as if it were a request, but Trev knew it might as well been a demand, he couldn't have said no, that wasn't a possibility. Nodding his acceptance he awaited any instructions, Kisha smiled at him, but it was a cold empty smile, she knew he would follow her wherever she went and she knew she would need help if she were to succeed in her own personal endeavor.  
  


* * *

  
Night fell quickly as did the sun, red shafts of fading light filtered through the trees casting an eerie hue over the forest floor; the entrance to the small cave was outlined and obvious in the fleeting sunlight. A pair of figures stalked towards the entrance slowly, moving with the trees' shadows; Kisha could tell from her position above, hidden in the tree top, that it was the same beast from the other night, Jalin's mysterious look-a- like, but she couldn't tell who the other beast was, it had smaller, more feminine figure. It looked like some sort of young beast, a young maiden, probably an otter, weasel or perhaps even a ferret like herself.  
  
The two figures, still cloaked in shadows for the most part, stepped into the cave swiftly, not making a sound. Then after a few minutes Kisha saw the telltale glow of a fire lighting up the entrance, the smoke escaping through another hole that had been bored through the tree truck, most likely set up by some squirrel and his family that had lived there seasons ago. It was a low fire, not enough to draw much attention, but for Kisha it gave her the light to put her plan into action as long as Trev could do his part on the inside.  
  
"Wait for it . . ." Kisha whispered softly, trying to calm herself down, her paws were nervous, holding each of her twin daggers in death grips. She shivered in a cool breeze, anticipation setting her on edge, slowly she eased herself to the ground, being careful to remain silent and sidled up next to the hideout's entrance, keeping herself well away from the glow of the flames. "C'mon Trev, do your part . . ." Even though the other ferret had her full confidence, she still worried, especially since the look-a- like was basically an unknown, as was his partner.  
  
Inside the cave Trev watched nervously from where he lay against the wall, Kisha had bound him once again so they didn't alarm their 'prey'. Even though she had bound him loosely, the ropes were still uncomfortable and for the most part it was his past experiences with ropes. He saw that his assailant now had someone else with him now, another ferret or perhaps some other kind of beast, he couldn't tell with the low glow of the fire, the maid's features were disguised by a loose fitting, black cloak. The look-a- like wore little clothing, a white shirt and some pants, stained with spots of blood and torn by battle, in fact Trev could point out the cuts that he himself had caused.  
  
"Sit down there." Trev heard the male's voice, more a request then an order and he saw the smaller female sit down, just across the small cave from him and he began to loosen the ropes that bound him preparing to strike, his blade ready, but hidden.  
  
Outside Kisha waited nervously, digging her dagger into the tree in order to keep herself from shaking from the anxiety. She heard the sound of voices floating on the cool night breeze, the voices were calm and collected, but there was an undertone of tension. Perhaps it was a figment of her imagination being taken over by her fears, but she could have sworn that they were as nervous as she was. Kisha listened intently and then she heard it, the sounds of a scuffle, somebeast cried out in pain and quickly Kisha dashed into the cave.  
  
Kisha entered the small pocket below the tree to find that Trev had the other ferret down on the ground, their blades locked together while the young maid with him was trying to beat Trev off with a small tree limb. Kisha made her way towards them, her blades out and at the ready, but then the maid looked up and stared at her with fearful eyes. For a moment everybeast stopped, frozen in what they were doing, Kisha dropped her blades and stared at the young maid before her who had dropped the branch, an expression of shock as well as confusion present on her face.  
  
"Ari?" Kisha asked, moving towards the maid as Trev and his combatant, stared at the two, confused by their strange actions. The young maid, Ari, stared back, she knew the older ferret maid from somewhere, somehow. "How did you get here?" Kisha demanded from the young maid, Ari took a step backwards in shock of the ferret's tone; it was an angry, but worried voice.  
  
Who are you? Ari mouthed the words, unable to communicate any other way, by this time she had circled behind Trev and Kylin, keeping them as a barrier between her and the other maid.  
  
"I'm . . .I'm . . ." Words suddenly failed Kisha, she didn't know if Ari could handle the truth, but she had to tell the maid something. Unfortunately all she could get out was a low mumble that nobeast could understand. Ari moved towards the older ferret maid, glancing up a bit, staring into her eyes, completely puzzled by what she was thinking. In the background, Kylin and Trev had disentangled themselves, moving to opposite sides of the small space, blades still at the ready as they waited for Ari and Kisha to settle whatever was going on.  
  
Wait . . . Ari mouthed, as Kisha took as step backwards towards the cave exit and the shadows, she looked almost frightened, worried about something neither Kylin nor Trev knew about. Ari reached up with a paw and touched Kisha's face, feeling it's features, trying to place her and then it clicked. It was suddenly clear to Ari, her eyes lit up and she quite suddenly wrapped her arms around Kisha, Ari began crying onto Kisha's cloaked shoulder, emotion overtaking her body.  
  
"Ari . . ." Kisha whispered, wrapping her arms around the small maid as Trev and Kylin looked on, completely confused by this turn of events. A single tear running down her cheek as she embraced the young maid,  
  


* * *

  
Back at Lord Viand's main camp, the scouting mission had been deemed a complete failure, few had returned from that night and all of them were empty handed. This was a fact that angered Viand and it was obvious to all of the troops and slaves that none of them were going to enjoy the next few days. They had been told that they were nearing their destination, but still none knew where it was or even what they would do when they got there, it was an unnerving fact.  
  
At the center of the camp the troops sat in circles around a small fire, everybeast trying to get warm, even a few slaves were trying to scoot themselves nearer to the flames. In the past week or so, the temperature had taken a nosedive, the clouds had covered the sky and the sun was seldom seen save for a moment or two around noon. So now they all sat, some huddled for warmth, wrapped in their clothes and blankets and everybeast completely ignorant under the cold stares of their leaders Lord Viand and his ruthless second in command, Jalin.  
  
"Wot's keepin' us 'ere mate?" A tall, brown-furred weasel asked his friend, a smaller, younger ferret who was obviously quite old, in a hushed tone, shivering a bit from the cold and he stretched his paws towards the fire to capture some of its warmth.  
  
"They are mate, who else?" The ferret replied in an icy tone, he was as sick of their situation as any beast would be. He'd been traveling with the horde for nearly a season, far less then many of the army's beasts, but it had been long enough.  
  
" 'Ow mate, they're on'y two beasts after all?" The weasel asked, be he sighed for he knew that the rat was sincere, there really wasn't any way to escape alive.  
  
"It's a fact." The ferret replied simply, glancing around the camp before he continued. The horde had set up a village of tents when they had stopped earlier and the rat was trying to find the best one for many were in different states of disrepair. "C'mon mate, let's get some shelter."  
  
"Sure." The weasel replied with another sigh, searching through the tents before they got up. Soon the entire army, save for a few left to guard the slaves, had disappeared into the tents, the fire began to burn low and all had quieted for the night. All was peaceful, almost serene as the moon hung in the sky giving the camp an eerie calm. The weasel stayed awake that night, the fears getting the best of him, rumors dancing around in his head, giving material to his imagination.  
  
He stared from the ground out the door of the tent, watching as the trees swayed with the wind, dancing in the shadow's grasp. He swore every sound was some beast with a blade, coming for him, but nothing ever came. He cursed his imagination as he tried to go to sleep, eyes still staring out into the dark, in the distance he could still see the soft embers of the dying fire still glowing weakly.  
  


* * *

  
Somehow the weasel got to sleep that night, he was awakened by the soft sounds of a birds shrill call as the sun of a new day peered through the clouds. He rose from where he had slept and stepped outside, glad for the sunshine and a new day. Then he smelled something, a sickly sweet smell; it was a smell that he had smelled before about a season ago. It was the acrid smell of death; quickly looking around the weasel found that several tents had been knocked down to the ground, their contents strewn and their inhabitants lay on the dirt, blood pooling around their bodies.  
  
"What?" The weasel gasped and quickly dashed to his friend's tent, he gave a sigh of relief when he found that it was still standing. "Hale?" He whispered as he drew nearer to the tent, the ferret was till asleep, but he was alive. "Hale quick get up!" He shook the ferret awake roughly.  
  
"Hallan?" Hale woke up quickly, shaking his head in order to keep himself awake. "What is it?"  
  
"Somebeast came through an' killed a few of ours." Hallan pulled the ferret up and led him to where the row of tents sat crumpled, the ground bloodied and strewn with bodies. Hale just seemed to stare at the bodies, it wasn't the first time he'd seen this much death, but still it sent shivers down his spine. Walking sown a small path, following the trail of imprints in the earth. Along the path of bloody paw prints beast lay dead, each one killed in the same manner, throats slashed, necks broken and their eyes all looking up at the sky with empty stares.  
  
Hale and Hallan walked down the line, checking each beast in hopes of finding one or two still alive, but they were all indeed dead. Giving up they quickly roused the rest of the troops, the message spread through the camp like wildfire, rumors had already begun to circulate that those beasts had been a part of a small rebellion or something along those lines. Then, as soon as Viand had been awakened, they were ordered to take down their makeshift camp, the tents were torn down and the dead left to the insects. The air grew cold and everybeast marched on, leaving a trail of bloodshed in their wake. 


	18. Part Two, Chapter Eighteen

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Eighteen~  
  
Cool rains had begun to fall, the rolling hills covered by grasses and forest had turned to a muddy slush of leaves and dirt. The trees fall plumage was beginning to fall as water dripped over them, falling down to the forest floor, saturating the soil. Snows would come soon to blanket the earth in a thick white coat, barring anybeast from leaving the comfort of their own separate shelters. Sivan knew this fact well; the squirrel was out in the woods finding as much food as he could before the coming winters wrath set in, covering his home in ice.  
  
"Come on, there has to be more then this." The squirrel wasn't having the best of luck, the woods seemed to have been already stripped bare and everything was gone. Nuts, roots and even leaves had been taken from the earth, it was quite a puzzling fact for Sivan since they, he and his family, were almost the only beasts living around that part of the woods. Sighing he glance at his mostly empty sack before turning to the forest, taking a quick survey of his surroundings something caught his eye.  
  
"Ah, there's some." The sight of a tree, the nuts still attached, excited him and so he quickly scaled the trunk, collecting all of the food in a matter of minutes. Smiling with the realization that he was finished after two hours or so of scouring the forest for food he leaned back against the tree, letting the cool rain flow over him, he felt cleansed of the days work as the clean waters washed over his body, soaking his clothes through.  
  
"Sedona ain't gonna like this." Sivan murmured examining his clothes, they were newly made and he knew for a fact that his wife wouldn't like him ruining them so quickly as he had done with his last set. Sighing, almost unwilling to leave the comforting, beautiful scene of the winter's first rains for the safety of his home, a large drey built deep in the forest, quite a ways from where Sivan was at the moment.  
  
Walking slowly, still enjoying the season's beautiful first rains while he could, watching the tiny droplets of water as they made their journey from the sky to the trees and finally to the earth beneath his feet. The sun showed through a hole in the overcast skies, casting a beautiful rainbow in the distance over some nameless mountain already white capped by the winter. Sivan made his way over the wet ground, walking through slush and mud, but still enjoying the weather despite the fact his foot paws would soon be caked with dirt as soon as he got home. He knew his wife wouldn't like that, setting a bad example for the little ones and especially his eldest son,  
  
Smiling all the way he finally made his way to the tree in which his drey was built when he stopped, glancing up he could tell something was wrong. He did not know what, but there was something off about his home, it was absent of light, the happy yells and cries of his little children, most of them not even out of dibbunhood, were strangely absent. Very off from the normal situation, a rainy day would normally bring the children out into the rain, splashing in puddles and having fun while Sedona would try to chase them all back inside, but all of that was absent now, leaving Sivan standing in a puddle staring up at his silent home with a strange sort curiosity.  
  
'Are they all asleep?' He wondered inside, already the fear had been creeping into his mind pushing out the scenes of a joyful past that had preoccupied his mind. He knew that he wasn't in a bad part of the forest; in fact it was one of the lonelier, safer southern parts of the forest, far from where the cruel beasts of the northlands would tread. Snapping himself out of his shock he walked up the tree a bit further, placing his paws on the trees bark he felt a sudden shock of cold from it, glancing upwards, rains still soaking over him he stared at his home and there he saw it.  
  
"No . . ." He found a small trail of red winding from the top down through the twists and curves of the bark, it led to a small crimson pool at the base of the tree.  
  
'It can't be . . .it just can't . . .' He begged silently, hoping against what was seeming to become more and more likely, the red was undeniable proof. Quickly snapping himself out of the trance he scaled the tree, leaving the sack below and drawing out his small dagger, normally used only for gathering food. Slowly he began to scale the tree, tail twitching nervously, eyes darting this way and that until he reached the opening to his home. He glanced inside to find nothing, but a small red trail leading from the darkness and a sickening scent was everywhere around him and stepping into the shelter he found the source.  
  
'Oh please no . . .' Sivan fell to his knees, his silent pleas went unanswered as a few stray tears falling from his eyes as he cradled the body of what had once been a squirrel, a loving son.  
  
"Please don't, just please don't . . ." The squirrel as he cradled his fallen child in his paws, the eyes were open, an expression of shock on his face, the fatal wound was plainly obvious on the squirrel's abdomen as it still bled, pumping blood slowly. Taking a single paw Sivan slowly closed his son's eyes, hoping he was already at peace within the gates of the dark forest, setting him down carefully Sivan rose to his feet and glanced around what had once been a home.  
  
'Why?' He wondered, wiping the tears from his eyes before he rose, the drey was completely trashed, the only furnishing destroyed and in a crumpled mess, a few stray toys left out on the bloodied rug.  
  
"Why?" He gasped aloud, suddenly feeling weak; he leaned against a wall of the home, there were no answers there, he couldn't do anything so he simply slid down the side, staring as his foot paws, now sticky with blood. His wife and his children were gone, dead or just missing, he couldn't tell, but if the beasts that had done this could kill one child then they could surely kill the rest. Then he heard something, a soft sound coming from the other side of the room, moving slowly and making sure he stayed quiet in case it was one of the scum that had ransacked his home.  
  
He heard a few short groans, it was coming from somewhere beneath the wreckage of a table in the corner, his blade out, Sivan began to pull away debris. He was rewarded with the form of some beast, wrapped heavily in cloth, but it was too dark to see who or what. Roughly he dragged the beast from the corner out by the door where he saw that the rains had begun to pound the earth, its beauty was lost in something more sinister. It was some weasel, wrapped in bloodied cloaks and wounded, there was a great, long gash ripped across the beasts gut and it was apparent that he would soon die. Sivan glared down at the weasel, it was half conscious and staring up with clouded eyes, a look of pain was ever present on its features.  
  
"What did you do?" Sivan had lowered himself to the floor, putting his mouth just inches from the weasel's ears, making sure that it heard him.  
  
"Who did . . .?" The weasel mumbled, not understanding what the squirrel had asked.  
  
"What did you do?" Sivan repeated his question, anger growing in his tone as he barely contained his rage. His fist shaking, he glanced back at his son, lying in a pool of blood.  
  
"What happened?" The weasel responded with another question just as Sivan's last nerve was shot, the squirrel quickly picked the weasel up off the floor and pinned it against the wall. The weasel groaned as it's wound was jarred painfully, the bleeding began more profusely then before, its clothes becoming soaked with the weasels own blood, but the weasel was fully conscious now, driven by the extreme pain.  
  
"What the hell did you do?!" Sivan yelled, pinning the weasel with one paw, the other holding a dagger to its face.  
  
"We came . . .lookin' fer new recruits . . . an' that 'un there attacked me . . ." The weasel began, sinking slowly back into his trance, it was obvious that the weasel had no idea who it was talking to as it adopted a more casual tone. "I guess the little 'un got me good . . .can't believe it though . . .Tralin killin' 'im afterwards. So where d'ye think we'll go now?"  
  
"Where d'you think?" Sivan asked, playing along with the weasel's delusion.  
  
"Probably kept headin' northwards towards dat village. Wot's it called?" The weasel began to slip, Sivan's anger began to recede and he let the weasel slide to the floor, leaving a bloody streak down the wall as he went. "So when d'ye think this'll be all over mate?" The weasel asked, staring into nothing, seeing someone, his eyes already clouded over and his body still, his breathing had nearly stopped slowing to a few raspy coughs, blood dripped from the corners of his muzzle.  
  
"Soon." That was all Sivan could think of to say, sure he was angry, but this wasn't the beast that had taken his son from the world and his family away. He was merely one beast who was now lying dead at the squirrels' foot paws, as was his son, Sivan almost felt sorry for the beast. Within minutes the beast was dead, mouth open, blood pooling around the body, he looked almost exactly how his son did and Sivan couldn't take it. With a growl he kicked the body, sending it tumbling out of the drey and into the air, with fascination Sivan watched as it twisted through the air, the rain streaming over it until it landed with an audible thud.  
  


* * *

  
"Tralin." Sivan hissed, it was a few hours later and the squirrel was out for blood, the name of his son's killer engraved into his memory, tracking a trail of footprints as he tried to catch up with his prey before the rain cleansed his clues from the earth. Ignoring everything the squirrel made his way along the trail, still only carrying a dagger, only having picked up a waterproofed cloak from his wrecked home.  
  
Rage was fueling him onward, the images of his wrecked home and his son lying dead in a puddle of blood haunting him along the way. Sivan went along the trail from a perch in the trees, wishing to keep the element of stealth an option in case he was well out numbered, a small hope still alive within him as he searched for the beasts, finally coming upon a well- beaten path, obviously recently used.  
  
"I'm coming for you." Sivan whispered to himself, hoping against the odds, hoping that somehow his family was still alive as prisoners or hostages. Moving much faster now that he didn't have to concentrate on a few faded tracks and could simply follow the huge path. Very soon he found himself at the back of them, catching only a glimpse of a few stray beasts at first and then he saw the horde in all its glory.  
  
Standing out perilously on a tree limb he looked down upon the horde, there were beasts of all kinds mixed together, there was an obvious trail of slaves as well, their chains glinting dimly under the overcast sky, but the truly impressive thing was just the sheer awe-inspiring size of the horde. It seemed to stretch on infinitely or at least as far as the squirrel could see, there had to have been thousands of beasts, all of them marching northwards towards some town.  
  
'What had he called it?' Sivan wondered, but he remembered that the weasel hadn't known the town's name either. Still staring at the army, Sivan searched in the great line of slaves for any members of his family, but he found none. He couldn't even see any squirrels among the slaves, within the army there were a few which elicited a slight feeling of shock from Sivan, but upon a closer look he saw beasts of all types everywhere. There were ferret, weasel, fox, stoat and rat marching as slaves as well as mouse, otter, squirrel and hedgehog walking along, weapons in hand, as soldiers.  
  
Descending from the branch, Sivan darted along side the path until he was close to where the slave lines ended, a few beasts or so around them as guards. Staying silent and out of sight the squirrel made his way up through the lines, searching desperately for his family, praying that they weren't dead. Then all of sudden he felt somebeast reach out and grab him, he felt himself pulled quickly into a bush. He found himself face down on the ground behind a bush, unable to see his attacker. Sivan made a move to fight off his attackers, but a paw quickly clamped over his mouth, another beast lying on his back to keep him still.  
  
"Shh . . ." A feminine voice hushed him quietly. "If you yell or even make a sound we might all be dead." The voice told him slowly, the one lying on his back slowly got up.  
  
"Are you following them?" Sivan quickly asked in a soft voice as soon as the paw was removed from his mouth, one of his attackers, an ottermaid, helped him to his feet.  
  
"Aye an' ye nearly got yerself killed by 'em." The ottermaid answered, glancing around Sivan found that he was surrounded by only four beasts, an otter maid, a hare maid and then two little ones, a little otter maid and a hedgehog maid.  
  
"What are you doing following them?" The hare maid asked, her tone completely devoid of the normal cheery hare speak characteristic of most of her species, as far as Sivan knew, she was all about the business.  
  
"They killed my son an' took my family." Sivan answered darkly, his voice was monotonous and dry, devoid of all the emotions he was keeping locked away.  
  
"They killed our friends." The hare maid answered likewise, finding their common ground. "Meryl." She stuck out a paw for the squirrel to take.  
  
"Sivan." He took the hare's paw hesitantly, not completely able to trust her.  
  
"An' I'm Kat. These two 'ere are Georgia an' Kathryn." The otter maid continued with a lot more enthusiasm then any other beast there, pointing to the hedgehog maid and the other otter in turn.  
  
"We're all tracking them together now." Meryl stated, Sivan looked at her strangely, her outfit was that of a healer and yet she was the leader of the group, most of the healer's Sivan knew would not be able to do such a thing. The hare seemed rather strange, but still he nodded his consent.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You follow my lead and you follow the plan." Sivan did not ask any questions of this statement, as long as he got his revenge on Tralin, the hare begun leading and the others fell into step with Sivan bringing up the rear, he would follow for now. Slowly they disappeared into the forest shadowing the horde as they went, the time was coming as the weather began to become colder still. Soon the rains would turn to hail and soon enough the landscape would be covered in a thick blanket of white, cleansing it of everything. 


	19. Part Two, Chapter Nineteen

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Nineteen~  
  
"You know they won't all leave. This is their home; they will try to protect it." Samuel whispered to Riala, they sat upon a bench outside of a blacksmith's forge towards the center of the town, Riala's message had already been spread, but the meeting to decide what to do was to take place later once all of the elders and leaders had been assembled. Riala nodded, she knew that not all would leave, she was well aware of that. Some beasts were just too stubborn, but she knew she had to try to save some of them, convince them to save their children at least.  
  
"I know, some beasts in this town 'ave the stubbornness to look death in the eye an' spit in its face. I just hope that they won't risk their families as well as their own lives." Riala whispered back, a ferret that had caught a bit of their conversation glanced at her strangely before moving on into the forge.  
  
"Not stubbornness my dear fox, mostly courage if you ask me. Many beasts in this town are warriors, they won't run from their homes." Samuel shook his head slowly, sighing a bit.  
  
"And what are you?" Riala asked in a sly voice, grinning at him.  
  
"I'm just an old mouse." Samuel returned the grin, but still what the fox had asked hit him deeply. In his prime the mouse had been one of town's many warriors, the leader of a group that protected it from bandits, thieves and other assorted scum for many seasons, but he'd grown up fast during those seasons. He'd retired early as he began to watch friends die from their duties, he took up farming, settled down and built a life.  
  
"Sir, you're a great beast if I ever knew one." Riala smiled, though she had only known Samuel through the latter years of his life, she knew all of the stories and had even seen the mouse's courage first hand.  
  
"Thank you Riala." Samuel smiled back, settling into the bench, watching happily as all sorts passed by during their daily routines, while he tried desperately to forget that soon it would all be gone.  
  
"I'm sorry Samuel." Riala said suddenly, drawing Samuel's attention immediately.  
  
"For what Riala?" The old mouse asked, confused.  
  
"For being the bearer of such terrible news." The vixen let out a short sigh, she'd always hated giving bad news and it was something that she had never gotten used to, something she couldn't get used to.  
  
"It's not your fault." Samuel placed a comforting paw on her shoulder.  
  
"I can't help, but think it is." Somehow the vixen new it had be her fault, somehow it had to be linked through her as if the threat were coming for her, it was a feeling that had haunted her throughout her life, some called it the 'Seer's Curse'. It had always seemed that bad news would be haunting her wherever she went; it felt as though it were some shadow stalking her, but she knew it was her own shadow.  
  
"It's some sort of twisted fate, not exactly something a single fox could bring about, not even you my dear." Samuel grinned at Riala cheekily, but inside worries about the vixen were eating away at him, she hadn't ever seemed too stable since he had known her, the town seemed the only thing keeping her grounded in reality sometimes. The old mouse worried about what she might do when the town was gone, her anchor lifted, he worried about where she might drift to.  
  
"Samuel?" Sighing Riala rose from the bench slowly, her movements seeming weary.  
  
"Yes Riala?"  
  
"Do not worry for me, worry for the children, the wives, the husbands, the brothers and sisters of your town for they are the ones in danger now." With that statement she began making her way through the crowd, her destination unknown to Samuel, but it had always been that way with her.  
  
"Riala, I have to worry for you, you are a sister of this town whether you wish it to be or not." The aged mouse knew that Riala was long gone, that she would not hear what he had to say, but he also knew that the vixen had already seen all of this before. Glancing around at the bustling town before him, he sighed again, it was all to end soon.  
  


* * *

  
The sun had begun to sink over the hills due west of the town, the forest began to cast its shadow over the eastern section as most every beast in town, save for children and a few beasts to watch them, gathered at the home of Samuel, the usual meeting place. The situation had already been discussed, if fact it'd been the topic of discussion throughout the day despite the efforts made to keep the day like every other one. The only reason the towns beasts had come there was to discuss it in a more manner and to vote on the matter at paw.  
  
"It's simple Samuel, I jus' ain't willin' ta leave ma home based on some dream." A mouse, much younger the Samuel, stated, it was the basic sentiment among the towns beasts, at least for those beasts more outgoing for there were many of the more superstitious lot that were willing to run.  
  
"I know and I know that you're willing to fight to defend your home. I can only urge you to think of your families, we have never seen Riala be wrong about things such as this." Samuel was soft-spoken, but still his presence was large in the meeting.  
  
"Not all of us believe these silly superstitions." It was true, in fact the majority didn't, the stories of vixens with seer qualities had for the most part faded into simple legends along with the epic tales of Redwall, Martin the Warrior, Marshank and other such things.  
  
"They ain't all silly mate . . ." One otter whispered, just a bit to loud.  
  
"Oh?" The mouse stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by much of the town. "Well if you would care to enlighten us, please do." The mouse gave the floor to the otter, a smug little grin on his face.  
  
"I'm jus' sayin' that all of these lil' silly things ye been puttin' down ain't silly, ye all know the stories an' I know that ye all know that legends an' superstitions always 'ave some truth somewhere. Riala's never been one to be wrong an' ye all know that she wouldn' be tellin' us all dis if she didn't believe it herself." The otter didn't stand to deliver his short speech; he preferred to stay where he was and just spoke loudly so all could hear. A ripple of whispers could be heard passing through the towns' beasts as well as few respectful nods from the elder members of the town.  
  
"It's not a matter of belief, I for one won't leave my home without some kind of proof. I'm not leaving based on some vision . . . some . . . some silly little dream." The mouse finished off his replay with sarcasm and then came the whispers and the nodding from the towns' beasts once again. It had gone on like that, back and forth, same message with slightly changed wording, before Samuel had finally had enough, realizing that they could accomplish nothing with every beast as divided as they were.  
  
"Stop!" Samuel yelled out as a heated argument was about to take place and suddenly every beast was silenced, caught off guard by the mouse. "We cannot get anything done like this, we came here to make a decision, not to debate the issue more. Perhaps I am expecting to much." The aged mouse had stepped into the middle of the room, the whole of his body language showing his exasperation clearly.  
  
"Samuel?" A voice asked from behind the mouse. Samuel turned to see that Riala had risen from her seat where she had been hiding, remaining absolutely silent throughout the proceedings until that moment.  
  
"Yes Riala?" Samuel replied, his calm demeanor quickly reasserting itself, covering up the frustrations he felt on the inside.  
  
"Perhaps they are not all ready, we mustn't rush the issue." Riala stated simply, trying to keep herself neutral enough that none of the town's beast would try to start arguing again. Samuel nodded to the vixen and then motioned to a group of otters that had been watching over the proceedings. Slowly began the long process of ushering every beast out of the mouse's home, a few tempers were still flaring in the crowd of beasts as a stray couple of arguments were carried out on the way out, but soon enough they had all left, going off to their own homes, leaving Samuel and Riala alone in the room.  
  
"How long do you suppose we have?" Samuel asked as he slumped onto the bench where he had sat through the meeting, his whiskers drooping slightly, the worry was a heavy burden upon the mouse's back and he was getting too old to deal with it anymore.  
  
"I wish I knew exactly when, but the dreams have not told me . . .at least not yet." Riala hoped that sometime soon the dreams would tell her something new that she didn't already know, like who it was that was coming and why.  
  
"Wait a minute, dreams? You dreamt of it again?" Samuel asked, looking up at the vixen from his spot on the bench.  
  
"Yes, but it was still the same dream. The town on fire, under attack . . ." Riala trailed off, shuddering at the memory of the dream. "I wish I could rid myself of the memory, I hate to be the bearer of this message."  
  
"It is a burden for you I am sure, but we must be thankful that at least we're warned of this coming threat. It at least gives us some chance to keep our lives intact . . .for the most part . . ." Sighing Samuel rose from his seat, moving to the window where the light of the sun could still be seen poking over the tops of the rolling hills, silhouetting the stone markers upon them.  
  
"You do not wish to leave either." Riala noted solemnly, stepping to Samuel's side, she knew exactly what the old mouse was looking at, the stone that marked his children upon the hill, one claimed by war, the others claimed by the sickness.  
  
"Am I that obvious?" Samuel smiled, but it was sickly smile, not filled with happiness, only with sorrow and tears.  
  
"I wish there was something I could have done." Riala had treated both of Samuel's daughters when they had come down with the sickness, it had been when it had first begun to spread and they were among the first to die.  
  
"There is nothing you could have done, it was well out of your power to save them and I know that, there was nothing any beast could do for them . . ." Samuel stated glumly, he still remembered what they were like as little dibbuns of no more then two or three seasons and it pained him greatly.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Riala asked, a bit worried for the mouse, she knew he wasn't as accepting of their deaths as he said and she knew he was a brave beast.  
  
"I'm going to stay." He stated it, there were no questions about it and Riala knew it. "I'm going to defend the home I have made here, I have much less to lose then many others. I will fight along side any who stay here."  
  
"What of those who leave?"  
  
"There are many able to take my place, my place is here as it always has been and always will be to the day I die." The old mouse said as he stepped towards the chest, inside of it was an ancient war blade that Samuel had used for many seasons in his youth. The great double-edged sword, modeled after the blade used by the heroes of lost legends, it had been kept in excellent condition, its steel still shined as brightly as the day it had been forged.  
  
"I know you shall fight well Samuel." Riala watched as the old mouse opened the chest, removing the sword carefully, testing the feel of it in his paws once again, it had been many seasons since he had wielded it in battle, though he still practiced with it sparingly. Lying the great sword down on the bench, Samuel stepped back for a moment to admire it's craftsmanship, it was a bit over half as tall as Samuel, perfectly symmetrical with a glimmering blue stone inlaid into the hilt.  
  
"I hope I shall Riala, I hope I shall . . ." Samuel trailed off, picking up the blade once again, twirling it a bit before returning it to the chest before he turned to Riala. "Well I supposed we all best get some rest before the morning comes upon us."  
  
"Yes I suppose we should, good night Samuel."  
  
"Good night Riala." With that Riala walked out the door and disappeared into the darkness, sighing Samuel made his way along the hall to his own bed, blowing out candles as he went, just before reaching his bed he glanced out the window into the darkness. "We shall be ready for you."  
  


* * *

  
It was day again, the forest immersed in a layer of dense fog, Samuel moved slowly forward, holding his a small short sword before him. The mouse knew this forest well, he knew what would be around every turn and under every stone, but of course it had been a long time ago. It was a dream Samuel knew well, one that had haunted him for many seasons without ceasing. Of course it was less of a dream and more of a memory to the old mouse as he found himself young, standing on a field of battle for the first time, prideful and brave with youthful ignorance.  
  
"Samuel, stay back a few paces an' keep a lookout, make sure we don't get ambushed." A familiar voice echoed, it's direction a mystery, but it's source all too familiar. It was the beast that had served as his mentor in his younger days, a middle-aged squirrel named Sloan, but Samuel knew what was to happen next.  
  
"Sloan!" He heard himself call out in shock and suddenly the fog swirled and dissipated to reveal an already blood soaked battle ground, his mentor lay dead with an arrow though his skull and he found his younger self fighting to protect the long dead squirrel from the coming waves of evil. He never saw their faces as he killed them, his blade cutting through flesh, sinews and life itself. All he saw were the shadows of evil coming for him.  
  
"It is the way is it not?" Sinister voices whispered startling Samuel's dream-self, the mouse turned to find himself staring into an infinite darkness, a black void. Suddenly Samuel saw his other self turn to stone, frozen in place over the body of the squirrel Sloan and then with a swirl of the fog Samuel found himself alone with the darkness, the others taken by the tendrils of mist.  
  
"The way what is?" Samuel demanded of the void, the voice merely laughed.  
  
"So wise and yet so ignorant of your own nature." From the darkness stepped a figure, cloaked in glowing white robes, it almost seemed to float to him. Stopping just feet before the mouse the figure began to speak again. "It is the nature of war, it cannot be a clash of spirit. It is only a clash of the physical. Faceless combatants die in war, no beasts' die in battle, they come here to die . . ."  
  
"What?!" Samuel demanded, this was not a part of the dream; this was new, something very different.  
  
"I do not make it a habit to repeat myself when I know that I have been heard." The figure replied, Samuel glared at it, trying to see some of the features of its shadowed face, but he could discern nothing.  
  
"Then answer me this, where do they go? Where am I?" Samuel began asking, but he was silenced by the figure, a single flick of its wrist and from the darkness suddenly loomed a gate. It was a gate of legends, the gate to the Dark Forest, the final resting grounds of all beasts.  
  
"But how can this be?" The aged mouse took a step back in fright; he tripped over his paws and found himself staring up at the black gate in awe.  
  
"No, your fears are not so. You are still very much alive, I have merely brought you here because I must warn you of what is to come, but I cannot leave my duties." The figure sighed a little.  
  
"Warn me? Warn me of what?" Samuel demanded, rising from the ground.  
  
"Of what the seer has already seen, the darkness will come, you must prepare or flee. I would ask you to flee alongside your fellow beasts, but I know it is not to be." The figure spoke quickly as darkness began to creep over the gate. "My time is short, you must go Samuel."  
  
"Wait, what is the darkness?" Samuel shouted after the receding figure.  
  
"The shadows are my kin, goodbye Samuel." With that the darkness took over completely, the dream world shattered before Samuel's eyes and then he found morning. 


	20. Part Two, Chapter Twenty

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Twenty~  
  
Night had fallen, a full moon hung above, partially obscured by the overcast skies. Rain fell in a continual shower, weary paws sinking deep into the mud as they went, fighting back the exhaustion that threatened to overcome them. Moving quickly, all was silently save for the soft sounds of paws sloshing water as they tread through the forest, marching through puddles as the rains pounded them. All four of the travelers pumped their aching muscles in desperation as they tried to catch up with the horde of Viand, hoping that they had stopped as night had fallen.  
  
"Ye think they stopped?" Trev asked, his question coming out in ragged gasps.  
  
"If they're smart then they did, we should be able to catch up an' hopefully get a bit of rest before following . . ." Kishara answered likewise, wiping her brow quickly.  
  
"How are we supposed to find Aren in the slave lines once we get there?" Kylin called up to Kishara, he and Ari ran behind the two other ferret's shadowing them closely.  
  
"Viand usually keeps . . ." Kishara paused for a moment as she cleared a fallen tree, not breaking her pace for a moment as she had been trained to, Kylin and Ari took a bit longer.  
  
"Wait up!" Kylin called, helping Ari to climb over the log, quickly sprinting with the young maid on his back, to catch up.  
  
"Gotta keep up mate, it's all about speed." Trev said, falling back to behind Kylin and Ari to keep them going.  
  
"Yeah, like I was sayin', Viand normally likes ta keep his slaves nice an' organized. Aren will be with all of the other otters, you can bet yer life on it." Kishara answered, calling over her shoulder, but the suddenly she skidded to a halt. Kylin skidded to a halt as well, slipping in the mud a little; he came to a stop in a small puddle, taking Ari with him.  
  
"Er . . .sorry 'bout that . . ." Kylin apologized nervously, as Ari glared at him, the moon reflecting off her eyes, but Kylin had glanced away, turning his attention to Kishara. The ferret was frozen solid, eyes wide and ears flicked every which way, something was wrong. "What is it?" Kylin whispered, rising the puddle silently.  
  
"Shh . . ." Kishara hushed him immediately, a paw up to silence any further comment from any beast, glancing at Trev he found the ferret crouched on the ground, a dagger drawn out. "Listen can ye hear it, some beast is there . . ." Moving quickly Kishara got behind a tree, motioning for her three companions to join her.  
  
"What sort of beast do ye think? Some of the horde?" Trev asked quietly, pressing himself flat against the tree as if he were trying to disappear into the bark.  
  
"No, definitely not the horde, they wouldn't make this much noise. Unless we're closer then I thought we were . . . " Kishara answered in hushed tones, "You two stay here . . ." Kishara began motioning to Kylin and Ari, " . . .I'm trusting you." She was speaking directly to Kylin; he merely nodded in consent as the two ferrets began to scale the tree. Holding Ari close, Kylin bent down, trying to hide in the shadows.  
  
"Be ready." Kishara whispered to Trev as they reached a sturdy branch, waiting as the voices drew nearer and nearer to their position. Squinting as she peered through the rains Kishara could see four figures walking slowly through the words, conversing in normal tones.  
  
" 'Ow long d'ye think till they reach it?" One of the figures asked, probably an otter maid judging by the voice. Moving out onto the sturdy branch and away from the safety of the tree trunk where Trev waited silently, his dagger drawn and ready. Kishara removed her own dagger as well, trying to time when they would pass below the branch.  
  
"I don't know, but going by how tense every beast is, it's probably sometime soon." The leader of the group answered in a much more hushed tone, she sounded a bit nervous.  
  
"When are we going to attack them then?" Yet another voice, a male's voice this time, asked with hatred in his tone.  
  
" 'Ave you seen that horde mate? Ye suicidal?" The first voice, the otter maid's, asked. Kishara knew the maid to be right. A direct attack on Viand would be suicide, but at least they had answered her unasked question. The group definitely was not on the side of Viand.  
  
"They ain't on the martin's side." With that Kishara dropped down into the middle of the path, right in front of the travelers, she could now see that there were five of them. There were two otter maids, a squirrel, a hedgehog maid and a hare maid leading them, an odd group to be sure. "Stop." Kishara ordered, the five beasts stopped short, most of them drawing out weapons, save for the two younger beasts, the hedgehog and the smaller otter maid.  
  
"What do ye want 'ere ferret?" The larger otter asked, holding a spear out in front of her with one paw as she herded the two younger beasts behind her.  
  
"Put your weapons down, I ain't your enemy." Kishara said, shaking her head a little, but she knew that their mistrust was understandable; she was a ferret after all.  
  
"An' how are we going believe that scum?" The male squirrel sneered, taking a step forward, his long dagger shimmering in the moonlight, his eyes glowing with hatred.  
  
"Ye are going to attack Viand are you not?" Kishara asked, keeping herself calm and collected despite the many sharp pointed objects threatening her at the moment.  
  
"Yeah, what of it ferret?" The otter maid asked, growling slightly. Kishara noticed that their leader, the hare maid, had chosen to remain silent throughout the entire conversation.  
  
"Ever heard the sayin' that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', that's what ye got here. We're huntin' the scum too." Kishara answered, never taking her eyes off the silent hare maid, she was a rather odd character, dressed in the clothes of a healer, but wielding a weapon as leader. The hare maid was a very interesting character indeed and as every beast stood waiting, she thought over Kishara's statement carefully it was obvious that she was competent.  
  
"We?" The hare asked, breaking the silence that had followed the ferret maid's statement, she had analyzed that slip up by Kishara.  
  
"Aye, I ain't the on'y beast out here against that scum, the martin's got plenty of enemies around." Kishara answered coolly, cursing her mistake on the inside.  
  
"Get them out here then, we're all friends here." The hare demanded with a glare, pointing to the forest with her own weapon, a simple staff, probably the only clue besides her attire that the hare was indeed a healer.  
  
"Trev come down." Kishara called up into the trees and within a moment the ferret was beside Kishara, dagger now sheathed and hidden beneath his cloak, glaring at the five travelers before them. "Kylin, Ari! It's safe to come out." Kishara called out, Kylin emerged from his hiding spot slowly, Ari on his back.  
  
"This all of you?" The hare asked, still unable to trust the ferret maid completely.  
  
"Aye, it's all of us. Me name's Kishara an' this 'ere is Trev, Kylin an' Ari." Kishara took a step towards the hare maid as she lowered her staff.  
  
"I'm Meryl." The hare said, sticking out her paw. Kishara took it slowly, giving it a good solid shake as Meryl waved a paw over the rest of her group. "This here is Kat, the squirrel is Sivan and the two little ones there are Georgia and Kathryn."  
  
"Kat an' Kathryn?" Kishara asked, pointing to the two otters as Meryl released her paw.  
  
"Aye." Kat answered, tapping her rudder, knowing what was coming next  
  
"That ever get confusin' with both of 'em being otters?" Kishara asked, smiling a little.  
  
"Aye an' it could 'ave been more confusin'." Kat answered for herself. "My full name is Katherine, jus' spelled different from Kathryn's over. Our mother's were friends an' they liked the name." Kat explained.  
  
"Ah . . .I see . . ." Kishara chuckled a little; the otter obviously didn't like the conversation at paw.  
  
"Getting back to the matter at paw . . ." Meryl said with sigh, watching as Kat turned a nice shade of red beneath her fur, thankfully the dim light masked it from Kishara's view. "How exactly are you planning to take down that horde?"  
  
"Well I certainly ain't plannin' on doin' it with only us nine if that's what yer worried 'bout." Kishara began, her statement greeted by a few nods from the three older beasts. "There's plenty of beasts in his horde who can help us an' that's not to mention the slaves, free them an you've got a pretty good army right there."  
  
"How do you know all that?" Meryl asked, tapping a foot paw impatiently.  
  
"Well, I used to be one of those beasts, used to be in the scum's army. Me an' Trev 'ere ran for it on a scouting mission an' found these two." Kishara explained, receiving a few glares at the disclosure of the knowledge that she herself had been one of the pine martin's hordes.  
  
"So what's in it for you two, you already have freedom."  
  
"What's in it for us?" Kishara restated Meryl's question with a gasp of disbelief, whether it was sincere or not was any beasts' guess. "I've seen many a friend get killed because of that fiend an' I want revenge."  
  
"And them?" Meryl asked, motioning to Kylin and Ari, who poked her head over the ferret's shoulder to catch a glance of the hare maid.  
  
"They have family in the slave lines. We're helpin' them out in exchange for their services." Kishara explained, keeping herself collected as she got into a stare down with the other leader. "Why are all of you tryin' to take out that horde?"  
  
"Revenge, they killed some friends of ours an' they captured a few as well." Meryl answered simply, continuing to stare the ferret down.  
  
"So what's your plan?" Kishara asked, glaring straight back at the hare.  
  
"We're going to try and get ahead of them, find some allies somewhere and slow them down." Meryl said, glancing away for a moment, losing the stare down.  
  
"Believe me mate, ye ain't goin' ta find too many beast willin' ta do that. You want to get your revenge don't ya?" Kishara asked, confident that she was the more skilled of her and the hare.  
  
"Yes." Meryl answered, already knowing where the ferret was going,  
  
"Then ye best follow me an' you'll get it." Kishara said, confidence radiating from the ferret as she spoke, a quiet whisper passed between Kat and the squirrel, Sivan, at this statement.  
  
"So how do I know I can trust you?" The hare asked in a quiet voice. It was the obvious question after all.  
  
"There's your dilemma, ye don't know. It's just a chance you'll 'ave to take." Kishara shrugged.  
  
"Give us a moment to consider your offer then." Meryl asked and, motioning for the others to follow, they disappeared into the shadows just off the path beaten path. Kishara backed away from the spot where they had disappeared and moved to Trev's side.  
  
"Get up there, but be silent." She whispered into his ear, nodding Trev quickly darted up a tree and quickly found himself a spot right over Meryl and her group's heads.  
  
" 'Ow can we trust her Meryl? She used to be in the scum's horde." Trev heard the otter maid ask, her voice nervous.  
  
"I don't know, but we haven't got a plan at all, at least Kishara seems to have one." The hare responded likewise. "We're bound to get killed if we try to attack the horde by ourselves, her plan makes some sense at least. We'll take a vote on it."  
  
"Wait." The squirrel said, stopping all conversation. "We should follow the ferret's for now, keep them under close watch an' if they seem to be leading us into a trap we can get rid of 'em." The squirrel's statement was followed my a few quiet murmurs, Trev glared down angrily at the group, but he understood their position.  
  
"Sounds good ta me mate." Kat replied, breaking the uneasy silence that had settled upon them and slowly the rest of the group did likewise.  
  
"So let's go tell her already." Meryl said and began moving out of the shadows, Trev scrambled over a branch and down a tree, appearing seemingly from nowhere just behind Kylin just as Meryl and her company came out of the shadows.  
  
"We'll agree to your plan ferret, we're yours to command." Meryl stated and stuck her paw out for Kishara to shake, not noticing the uneasy glance that passed between Kishara and Trev.  
  


* * *

  
"Why am I out here?" A young weasel maid asked herself as she pushed through a branch, she was out searching for the beast that had been picking off guards. "Damn Viand . . ." She cursed, the still hadn't let up and there she was, out in the woods, wet and freezing. Clutching her cloak tightly around her, the maid stalked quickly, trying to think about something besides the cold weather.  
  
"I just simply ain't made for this sort of weather . . ." She muttered, all the weasel maid wanted was to be back in the south with her family, but now she was up in the northlands, freezing her tail off because of Viand.  
  
"You certainly ain't Ilana." A voice responded causing the weasel maid to jump in surprise, whirling around the weasel found herself face to face with a tall ferret maid, who leaned on a tree with a smile on her face.  
  
"Kishara?" Ilana gasped in surprise.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"You're alive! Every beast thought you were dead, but you're alive, what happened?" Excited, the weasel maid rushed to the ferret maid, hugging her tightly.  
  
"C'mon, none of that stuff. I did what we've all been talking about. I left the horde." Kishara replied, wiggling out of the weasel's hug.  
  
"You did, then why are you still hanging around this close to it?" Ilana asked in a slightly confused tone as she let go of the ferret maid's torso.  
  
"I'm going to get my revenge on Viand." Kishara answered darkly, a paw on her dagger's hilt.  
  
"How?"  
  
"I'm going to free the slaves an' get as many defectors as I can. Mebbe even get some allies from that town we're headin' to. That's where you come in?" Kishara had removed her dagger from its sheath by now and was idly toying with the razor sharp blade, spinning it in her paws.  
  
"Me?" Ilana took a step backward at this, but she knew the ferret maid to be much faster then her.  
  
"Yes you, I want you to get the old gang together an' figure out how many beasts are on our side. Find out how many are against us as well, but be careful of who you talk to. Do that tonight and tomorrow I'll find you and tell you more." Kishara explained quickly, continuing to spin her dagger skillfully. "Now go." The ferret ordered, pointing to the woods in the opposite direction from where the weasel maid had been heading.  
  
"Yes ma'am." Ilana saluted sharply and quickly ran in the opposite direction, half out of duty and half out of fear of Kishara. After Ilana had disappeared from view, Trev dropped down from the tree where he had been watching them.  
  
"We can trust her right?"  
  
"She one of us, don't worry, but just in case . . ." Kishara began, pausing for a moment to think, " . . .you had best follow her back to camp." Trev made to leave, but stopped just short of a tree.  
  
"What do I do if she isn't with us?" Trev asked, nervous of the answer. The question was greeted with a soft sigh from the ferret maid as she sheathed a dagger.  
  
"Then you kill her." 


	21. Part Two, Chapter Twenty One

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Twenty One~  
  
The camp of Viand's horde was completely silent, the only sounds were those of the rain and winds, everything seemed to be still, as if the world were bracing itself. The army and slaves all enclosed in their tents, slaves under heavy guard, much heavier then usual. Aren sat, surrounded by his fellow otters, Jimene among them. They conversed in low tones, trying not to wake the guard who sat, half asleep and muttering softly, at the entrance to the tent.  
  
"How long do you think it'll be?" Aren asked in a soft voice, shivering a little. The tent did very little to shield them from the cold and they weren't allowed a fire due to the lack of dry wood to be found in the forest off the path.  
  
"By the looks of things, it shouldn't be too long . . ." An older otter, scarred heavily by the whips, answered as he held his wife close to him. "All of the soldiers have been readying their weapons for sometime."  
  
"It can't be too long, ye can feel the tension out there . . .every beast is nervous." A young otter maid said in a quiet tone. She pointed to the guard sitting on the chair, his newly sharpened blade reflecting the moonlight.  
  
"Aye, so what are we going to do 'bout it?" The older otter asked, his paw absentmindedly running through his wife's head fur.  
  
"Good question, but wot can we do, we haven't got a plan at all." Aren muttered.  
  
"We can get ready to do something, our numbers are pretty even with theirs after all. We can at least do something. I don't feel like waitin' 'round fer them to get us workin' on some castle." The otter muttered back, his tone forceful, filled with hatred for the shackles upon his wrists.  
  
"That's all nice an' lovely Balin, but wot exactly do ye 'ave in mind." A younger otter, his eyes dark, answered angrily, his spirit having been crushed long ago.  
  
"I don't know." Balin answered dejectedly, but he refused to give up on the idea. "There has got to be something fer us to do . . ."  
  
"Wait an' hope mate, it's all we can do . . ." Some beast said as a flash of lightning lit up the tent and as the thunder passed over them, they were silenced. Hope was distant memory that kept them alive, but they had given up on actual hope. Then again, it was still what kept them alive.  
  


* * *

  
Rain pounding down upon, Yuval stood leaning against a tree on the outer perimeter waiting for the young weasel maid to return from her mission. Ilana had been gone quite a while by now and the stoat was getting worried, his group had been dropping like flies and Yuval couldn't shake the suspicion that it was all according to Viand's grand plan.  
  
"Damn that martin . . ." Yuval cursed under his breath, shaking his head slowly. He'd get even with the scum someday, too many friends had been lost on his mission and still no beast even knew why they were heading north. Sighing Yuval slid down against the tree, pulling his hood over his head, trying to get a bit of rest in. He hadn't been able to sleep for days, always having to watch his back; paranoia had been getting to him as of late.  
  
"Yuval?" Before the stoat could fall into the comforting realms of unconsciousness, he found some beast standing over him. Yuval glanced up to find Ilana there, breathing heavy with her cloak caked with mud and debris, a strange sort for smile on her face.  
  
"Ilana, you're back. Did you find something?" Yuval asked, getting to his feet quickly, he saw the strange look in the weasel maid' eyes, she had certainly found something, something big.  
  
"Quick. Get the gang together, we need to meet outside of camp." Ilana told Yuval.  
  
"Get the gang together? What did you find?" Yuval asked, curious. It was usually only on special occasions when Viand or Jalin called them, did their gang meet.  
  
"I found something big, but I can't talk till ye get every beast 'ere. It's something real big." Ilana replied, pausing a moment to see the stoat's response, which was merely a continued look of confusion. "I'll wait 'ere an' you get 'em all down 'ere. This is important, trust me."  
  
"Aye, don't worry Ilana, I do." Yuval muttered and quickly made his way towards the camp, disappearing into the dark. The stoat knew it had to be important or Ilana wouldn't have to get them all together. Soon, within few minutes or so, the stoat returned with about a score or so of beasts surrounding him. It was a diverse group, a collection of weasels, stoats, ferrets and rats with a stray otter and a pair of squirrels, collectively known as the 'Hunters'; they were a highly skilled group. Assassination, scouting, spying, fighting and tracking, they did it all, it was a definite blessing to any beast to be in control of their group.  
  
"Is this every beast?" Ilana asked, looking around the group to see that indeed no beast was missing.  
  
"Aye, tis all of us, 'cept for those dead or missin'." The lone otter of the group answered, leaning against a tree.  
  
"Good because I found Kishara." The weasel maid said quickly, setting off a small ripple of murmurs in the hunters.  
  
"Ye found Kishara? Alive an' well?" The otter asked, his demeanor absolutely serious.  
  
"She certainly is. In fact . . ." Ilana began, but was quickly cut off.  
  
"Ha mate, ye owe me now. Told ya she wasn't dead." The otter laughed as he collected a small bag of jewels from one of the squirrels that grumbled a little as he gave up his earnings.  
  
"Kesh, will ye shut up an' let 'er talk?" Yuval demanded, shutting the otter up quickly.  
  
"As I was saying, Kishara's alive an' well, but there is one thing." Ilana began again, bringing the volume down to a bare whisper that was nearly blocked out by the rain.  
  
"Well spill it already."  
  
"She has a plan to get revenge on Viand, but she needs all of our help." The hunters took the news well, not a single one of them were surprised by the news for they all knew Kishara. The weasel maid went on, repeating what Kishara had told her exactly, the hunter's response limited to simple nodding and as the rains continued to fall, Ilana finished and it began.  
  


* * *

  
Once again he was lost in his dreams, the voices calling out to him, begging him to change the path of events to come. Viand found himself in that town again, he recognized a few of the buildings and could even point out the spot where he had been slain by an arrow. It was a different time though and everything was different there, all was silent, not a single beast stirred on the scarred battlefield. The skeletons of buildings standing surrounded by the ashes of their neighbors and somewhere beneath it all lay the bodies of those slain.  
  
"Turn back." A voice demanded, it was the ferret maid again; she stood at the end of the street, standing on top of the ashes as if she were floating on it.  
  
"Who are you?" The martin demanded, making his way through the town towards the ferret maid, leaving twin tracks through the gray ashes. The maid simply stood there, floating on the sea of ash, silently awaiting him.  
  
"I am those that haunt your dreams, milord." She stated it as a simple fact, but it was merely a line of gibberish to Viand, his subconscious mind unable to comprehend her words.  
  
"I'll ask you again ferret, who are you?" He demanded as he reached her side. The ferret maid was dressed in a strange white cloak that stood out as a bright contrast to the bleak gray that she had surrounded herself with. Her eyes were closed and her features were downcast.  
  
"I am the shadows within your dreams, I am the memories that you have buried. I am the demon, which haunts you night and day." She answered, never opening an eye to look upon the pine martin lord.  
  
"Make sense!"  
  
"You cannot see milord. Your eyes deceive you at every turn, but the time is coming when you shall be born again to see the truth. It is coming milord." Slowly the ferret maid opened a single eye, glaring at him with disgust, a single sky blue eye piercing his soul.  
  
"Then why do you tell me to run?" Viand asked, confused by the ferret's self-contradiction.  
  
"You will see things you are not meant to see . . .the temple of the watchers shall be found . . .your unseeing eyes shall be your key." She said, opening her other eye to reveal a darker shade of blue, nearly black, the absolute opposite of its companion.  
  
"Unseeing eyes?" Viand repeated softly. "What does that mean?"  
  
"You shall see milord." The ferret maid replied, closing her eyes to the pine martin.  
  
"Tell me." Viand demanded, angry at the ferret maid's quiet refusal.  
  
"You shall see milord." She repeated, angrily Viand tried to grab her by the arm, but stumbled back clutching only ash and nothing more. Staring at the maid, he watched, as she seemed to crack before floating away as dust in an unfelt breeze, disappearing into the dark.  
  
"What?" Viand tripped, falling onto the ashen landscape, he felt it give way and then there was nothing, but darkness as he fell. Turning himself in the air he found that he was falling down a long dark corridor, glancing to his sides he found doors whizzing and then there at the end, a shining red light. It was rushing up to meet him, a burning crimson point of light at first that grew and grew until it began to burn into his eyes. Screwing his eyes shut, Viand felt the winds beginning to whip by him as he continued to fall, throwing his paws in front of him to brace for impact, he waited for the ground to meet him.  
  
But after time past by and the wind died out, he opened an eye to find that he was no longer falling; he was standing on solid ground at the end of a black corridor. A ray of light shone brightly at the opposite end, darkness and the unknown standing between them. Viands tread cautiously towards the light, glancing around nervously at the infinite darkness surrounding him. As he drew closer to it he felt a cold wind blowing into is face, pushing onward through it he found himself in a glistening snow covered landscape, white snow flakes falling gently from the sky, pushed this way and that by a gentle breeze.  
  
Stepping out of the cave he found himself in the middle of a vast field of snow ringed by great pines, the sun was a gleaming yellow orb floating in a sea of blue sky marked with a few white clouds. Everything as far as the martin could see was covered in a thick coat of white snow, glancing towards the cave he found that it had disappeared with a sheet of white, melding into land as if it had never existed. Walking slowly the pine martin wandered into the center of the field, feeling the sun's warmth upon his fur, wondering in the back of his mind about where he was. He was completely alone, isolated in the field of white; there were no signs of civilization whatsoever, just an endless white.  
  
"What is this?" Viand wondered aloud, glancing around at the white lands around him.  
  
"This is the future of all, can you not see?" A voice murmured, but as he snapped his head towards the source of the sound he found nothing there, merely white snows and nothing more.  
  
"What do you want?" Viand yelled, tired of playing games with the voices and never getting anywhere.  
  
"I want nothing, I am merely here to act as your guide. I am an echo of your own self, nothing more, nothing less." Viand suddenly realized that it was not the same voice as before, this one was different, a very familiar voice to him. It some beast he knew, some beast he knew very well.  
  
"Who are you really?" Viand asked, shrugging off the cold feelings that had swept over him despite the warm sun hanging above.  
  
"That is a question you should ask yourself milord, for you would not want the answers that I have." The voice responded and then a wind swept across the field, kicking up snow as in went, instinctively Viand covered his eyes. When it had passed, the pine martin glanced up to find himself staring at the mirror image of himself, a perfect copy of himself.  
  
"Who are you?" He demanded of his double, but the other pine martin simply shook his head slowly, almost in disbelief that he would ask such a simple question.  
  
"I am you." The copy answered, his voice exactly the same yet subtly different somehow; Viand simply couldn't put his paw on it. There was definitely something different about the pine martin, it was not a perfect copy, something was off.  
  
"No . . .you aren't, I know you aren't. You can't be." Viand shook his head slowly, glaring into the eyes off his other self.  
  
"But I am Viand, I am you. You are correct though, I'm not you as well." The copy answered and then suddenly another wind blew around them, blinding Viand temporarily.  
  
"Then who are you?" Viand yelled through the winds, but he was greeted only with a soft chuckle and then the wind died and he looked up at the other martin.  
  
"I am your future." Viand shrank back in terror; he wasn't looking at his mirror image any more. It was a more aged version of his present self, scars littering his body, fur missing in patches, but that wasn't the worst. Viand stared into his future self's eyes to find nothing; it was a skull, empty sockets from which nothing came. He found darkness there.  
  
"What . . . how?" Viand found himself at a loss for words, but the eyeless martin simply laughed.  
  
"Do not worry Viand, it is for the greater good. I can see more clearly now then you have ever." With that the snowy landscape and everything in it was swallowed up by darkness and Viand found himself sitting up on his cot in his tent, rain falling softly on canvas above. Lying back down he pondered the dream, considering calling upon Rikaaj for her interpretation, but he thought better of it. After all, they were just dreams. 


	22. Part Two, Chapter Twenty Two

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~  
  
~Chapter Twenty Two~  
  
It was quite nice inside the town's tavern; its lively atmosphere was infectious, the music playing over the conversations of the towns' beasts as the sun descended into the horizon outside. The seemingly happy place was tainted though, somehow not a cheery as in should have been. Between chatting about work, family and the normal things, came the subject every beast would have liked to avoid. Not only did it come up, but also it began to dominate their talks. Every beast seemed to be drawn to a discussion of it, but even after discussing it all day still none of them could really agree on what to do.  
  
"I jus' can't see leavin' over this." An otter said to his friends, a weasel and a mouse, as they sat around a table sipping at their tankards. "It's jus' a dream."  
  
"Say what ye will Linus, but I ain't takin' any chances with this. She 'asn't been wrong before an' she probably ain't this time." The weasel replied, sitting in a hunched position over his drink, blinking back sleep.  
  
"I know, but still . . ." Linus began, shrugging his shoulders. "How can ye leave yer life behind for a dream?" He asked, a strange look upon his face, as if the warnings had just been a joke.  
  
"You'll understand when you have a family of your own to worry about." The mouse cut in, glancing over to the bar where his son was busy lugging barrels of ale and wine back and forth from the cellars.  
  
"Yeah mate, ye can't really get it till then. I 'ave to look out fer Leah and the girls. You 'aven't got anyone, but yerself." The weasel continued, his thoughts drifting to his home where his wife was probably singing a little lullaby to their two twin girls.  
  
"I guess . . ." The otter replied, not really convinced of anything. "All I know is that I'm stayin'. Whatever comes an' threatens this town, I'm defendin' it."  
  
"Believe me mate, any other way an' I would stay an' fight any scum that comes 'ere with ye." The weasel added as he swished his drink a little before he rose from his seat. "Well, I best be getting' home now, see you guys tomorrow."  
  
"See ya tomorrow Liam." The remaining two said their goodbyes in unison. Their conversation ending with the absence of the weasel they turned to the entertainment, a couple of beasts up on the stage, one with a drum and the other three with stringed instruments, who were doing their best to entertain, but were for the most part ignored. Made a part of the background, blending with the talking, the clinking of tankards, all of it simply the backdrop for what was really happening.  
  


* * *

  
"So what're you thinkin' 'bout Olisa?" The bartender, a middle-aged ermine named Beldin, asked one of his long-time patrons.  
  
"Jus' thinkin' I s'pose . . . you've been hearin' 'bout it all day I'm sure." The squirrel maid relied, sipping her drink slowly.  
  
"Ah . . ." Beldin stared out into the crowd, watching the fake smiles upon the town's beasts' faces, hiding their fears, but it was obvious to one such as the ermine. He had spent his whole life learning how to read beasts; it was the mark of a good bartender as his father had always told him. He knew perfectly well what the squirrel maid was talking about, he had been thinking about it as well.  
  
"So what do ye think?" Olisa asked the ermine, her back to the bar as she glanced into the crowd, looking for familiar faces, seeing the fear as her gaze passed over them.  
  
"Not totally sure what to think . . ." Beldin began, absentmindedly cleaning a glass as he spoke, " . . .Riala isn't one to lie an' I've never known her to be wrong about something like this . . ." The ermine continued, stuttering a little as he tried to organize his thoughts into something coherent, shrugging a little.  
  
"But . . ." Olisa replied, knowing that Beldin was going somewhere, urging the bartender on.  
  
"It jus' kinda seems a little bit far-fetched . . ." He finished, shrugging his shoulders heavily, holding the galls up to the light for inspection.  
  
"Yeah, I know wot ye mean." Olisa shrugged as she turned back to the bar, her mug now empty, her speech slurred a touch. "It jus' dun add up fer me . . .would rather stay an' fight, 'stead of runnin 'way fer sum silly lil' dream."  
  
"Well, you aren't alone in that opinion. Plenty are stayin', in fact I've heard that somebeast is organizing 'em into an army fer whatever comes our way." The ermine said as he set down the glass, moving down the bar to retrieve a pair of used mugs.  
  
"Sounds good ta me." Olisa responded, smiling contently as if it were a magic solution.  
  
"Ain't going ta do much good if Riala is right . . .we'd be slaughtered no matter what . . ." Beldin muttered darkly, cleaning the mugs slowly.  
  
"What do ye mean?"  
  
"Well, you heard what sort of army she said was coming right?"  
  
"Yep." The squirrel maid replied, a bit confused.  
  
"Remember what she said about what's coming?" The ermine asked, doubting the squirrel's sincerity, especially since she had downed her fourth drink in as many minutes.  
  
"Of course I . . ." She began, pausing for a moment before she finished, "Um, never mind what I said, ye can go on." She smiled nervously, chuckling a bit as she sipped at her drink some more. Beldin merely glanced down, shaking his head at the squirrel maid's attitude; she certainly wasn't going to be walking home that night.  
  
"Mebbe I ought ta cut you off while ye can still see straight." Beldin smiled slyly, moving a paw towards the squirrel maid's drink slowly.  
  
"Uh-uh, you jus' keep goin' with what yer sayin'." The squirrel maid replied, pulling the mug back towards her defensively, smiling at the bartender drunkenly. Beldin was definitely going to be carrying her home tonight, shaking his head slowly he drew his paw back, glancing at the slowly dwindling crowd, hoping that he could get somebeast to stay and help with the maid.  
  
"Well, she said it was horde . . .hundreds o' beasts . . .I jus' don't think that we'll have much of chance either way. We run they'll catch us . . .we stay an' fight an' we'll jus' get slaughtered." The ermine began, leaning against the back wall of the bar, watching as the crowd rapidly began to dissipate, only a few stragglers left. "Sort of a now win situation, don't ya think?" He asked, but he was answered only with the maids light snores, glancing down he found that she had passed out on the bar, her paws still wrapped around her drink.  
  
"Passed out again did she?" A voice called from the other side of the room, Beldin didn't even need to glance up to know that it was Jadon.  
  
"Yep, s'pose I bored her to sleep again." He muttered loudly, chuckling a little at the joke.  
  
"I s'pose ye did. Shame on you, ninth time in a row." Glancing up he found the young ferret leaning against the bar next to Olisa, his guitar strapped across his back.  
  
"Ye want ta help me ta get 'er back home then." Beldin asked, hopping over the bar carefully, landing next to the ferret.  
  
"That's what I'm here for ain't I?" Jadon answered with a smile, setting his guitar down on the bar.  
  
"Yep, on'y reason I keep ye 'round." The ermine grinned in return.  
  
"Well, lead on old one." The ferret replied, carefully lifting the maid up onto his shoulders, he limbs protesting weakly in her unconscious state. Glancing up at the squirrel maid, Jadon caught a whiff of the maid's breath. "Whew . . ."  
  
"Should 'ave cut 'er off shouldn't I?" Beldin asked as he moved towards the door to the bar, by now they were the only two beasts left in the building.  
  
"No doubt 'bout that . . ." Jadon answered, shaking his head as he tried to rid himself of the smell. He stumbled through the doorway, pausing a moment for Beldin to lock up the bar.  
  
"C'mon." The ermine said, beckoning for the ferret to follow. Glancing up they found a clear sky, speckled with stars, the moon hanging high in the dark of night, casting a cold, blue hue over the land. Walking slowly, they made their way from the center of the town, where most of the shops and taverns were located, to the outskirts where the town's beasts made their homes.  
  
"So, have you made up your mind?" Jadon asked quite suddenly, breaking up the monotonous sounds of their paw steps on the town' dirt road.  
  
"Hm?" Beldin asked, caught a bit off-guard by the question.  
  
"Y'know . . .fight or flight, made up your mind?" Jadon asked, readjusting the squirrel maid's body on his back.  
  
"Not totally sure yet . . .jus' don't really want to think 'about leavin', but I ain't stayin' if death is comin' ta town." Beldin answered, slowing his pace a bit to allow for the ferret to keep up, but suddenly At the ermine's statement there was silence once more as Jadon thought about what the bartender had said.  
  
"I'm stayin'." The ferret stated, breaking the silence. Beldin merely remained silent, sighing a bit as his reasoning's came back to haunt him, his imagination getting the best of him with bloodied phantoms lying on the road ahead.  
  
"If that is what you're going ta do . . ." The ermine trailed off, glancing up into the sky, trying to lose his thoughts in the ever-shining stars that hovered there, detached from the world.  
  
"It's just that . . ." The ferret began, trying to give the ermine a good reason, but truly he was simply trying to convince himself of the facts. "I just can't see leavin' here . . .I mean this is my home, it's yours as well. I mean, isn't it worth it to stay and at least try to defend it?"  
  
"I s'pose." The ermine replied, shrugging his shoulders heavily.  
  
"Oh c'mon, that ain't an answer an' you know it." The ferret rolled his eyes, taking setting the squirrel maid down for a moment, preferring to carry her in his arms.  
  
"Yeah I know . . ." He shrugged, dropping his gaze from the heavens above to look at the town, even at night it was such a pretty place, but there was something wrong, a sense of dread in the air. The town was bracing for the worst, the walls of stone and wood were readying themselves for what was to come. "I just don't think we can make it through this . . .whatever is coming, it's just too big for us to handle. I know this is our home, but can't we just make another?"  
  
"Isn't this one worth the fight? We run from here an' we'll probably get chased from our new one too . . .well, you heard what Riala said . . ." Finally they had reached the squirrel maid's home, a nice little one story cottage which she shared with the rest of her family. Well, what was left of her family anyways.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't know . . .I just think there's more chance in runnin' . . ." Beldin muttered in response, before he turned to face the ferret. "Well we're here. May as well wake 'er up." Jadon merely nodded, setting the squirrel maid down gently on the steps. Bending down over her he gently shook her.  
  
"C'mon Olisa, time ta wake up." The maid simply muttered in response, her paws weakly trying to push the ferret away.  
  
"Just a lil' bit more time . . ."She whined sleepily, the ferret pulled away a little, fanning the air in front of his face.  
  
"Whew . . .you definitely should 'ave cut 'er off." Beldin laughed at the comment, shaking his head slowly as he hopped up the steps before knocking on the door gently.  
  
"Yer definitely right on that one, mate." The ermine replied with a chuckle, continuing to knock on the door, hoping that some beast would answer the door soon.  
  
"C'mon Olisa, time ta get ye up on your feet." Sleepily the maids eyes opened as Jadon helped her to her foot paws, the squirrel maid's knees wobbling unsteadily.  
  
"Uggh . . ." Olisa moaned, holding her head in her paws. "Drank a bit too much didn't I?"  
  
"Aye. That ye did." Jadon answered, acting as a support for the maid. Thankfully at that moment somebeast had decided to open the door.  
  
"Got 'erself drunk again?" Out into the street moved a tired looking male squirrel, one of Olisa's brothers, wielding a lantern.  
  
"Aye. We jus' came ta bring 'er home." Beldin explained as Jadon helped the squirrel maid up the couple of steps to the front door, soon she was in her brother's care.  
  
"Thanks Beldin." The squirrel waved them off soon as he had done on the night's prior. With that both Beldin and Jadon left, bound for the bar. They walked in silence, trying to avoid talking about the impending dangers, at least until they finally reached the front door of the bar.  
  
"Beldin?" Jadon broke the silence, surprising the ermine a little.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I know we don't agree on what to do, but whatever you decide I wish you good luck." Jadon stated.  
  
"Thanks Jadon, I wish you the best of luck as well." Beldin replied as he opened the door to the bar, the ferret didn't reply until he had collected his things and was ready to go.  
  
"Well, good night then I suppose." Jadon muttered, waving to the ermine.  
  
"Good night to you as well Jadon." Both beasts were sure that this was to be the last either of them would see of each other.  
  


* * *

  
It was the same dream again, or at the very least it was the same place. Riala found herself in the town square once more, but this time it was day. The sun shone brightly through a hole in the sky, flooding the now empty square with glorious, golden light. Riala glanced around to find that the land was empty of all things, no trees, no buildings and no other creatures stirring.  
  
"What is this?" She wondered aloud.  
  
"This my dear?" A voice asked her. Turning around sharply she found a white- cloaked ferret staring at her with his dark green eyes, the look upon his face was innocent yet wise and knowing. With a start she realized that it was the same ferret she had seen in the other dream, but he was different now, somehow older.  
  
"Avel?" She whispered, moving towards him slowly, her foot-paws creating a trail through the gray ashes of what had been the town.  
  
"This is what they call perfection . . ." The ferret answered, shaking his head slowly at the land.  
  
"Perfection! You can call this perfection? Are you mad?" Riala cried, surprised that such a word could be used to describe the ashen lands around them.  
  
"Tis a terrible thing is it not." Avel replied, the calm demeanor never leaving the ferret. "Life from death I can understand, but not like this."  
  
"Life from death?" Riala echoed, confused.  
  
"Phoenix are born from ashes, did you know that?" Avel asked, kneeling down to pick something out of the ashes.  
  
"Phoenix? What are you talking about?" The vixen asked, shaking her head as she tried to sort everything out.  
  
"Do not worry my dear vixen, it shall all make sense someday." The ferret rose once again to his feet, something clutched in his paws. Glancing at it she found a single, perfect rose in the ferret's paws. Its crimson petals untouched by the ash, glistening in the sun light. "Such beauty amidst such destruction, it is the lone survivor of this, but there is no more reason from that to be." With that Avel crushed the rose in his paw, allowing it to fall back to the ashen earth.  
  
"Why?" Riala asked as her eyes filled with tears at the realization. She knew what the rose was, she knew what the ashes were and they haunted her. She just had to know why.  
  
"Ours is not to know why, we are only to wonder about such things . . ." The ferret replied, shedding a tear as he glanced at the gray covered landscape, fully knowing of what had happened. "Time is short Riala, you must come with me."  
  
"What? Me? Go where?" The vixen asked, caught off-guard by the question. Both untrusting of the ferret, yet willing to believe anything that he said.  
  
"Your path does not end here." Avel answered quickly, putting out a paw for the vixen to grasp.  
  
"Where does it end then?"  
  
"Another time and another place my dear, come now for we haven't much time." Without any further comment Riala took the ferret's paw. Smiling Avel grasped her paw tightly and led her through the ashen landscape, the sun fading from the sky as they went.  
  
Then, in that one moment, she breathed her last. 


	23. Part Two, Chapter Twenty Three

Part Two Into The Twilight Winter  
  
Chapter Twenty Three  
  
The streets of the town were empty, the building were completely silent. The chatter of birds, the soft sounds of the beginning fall breezes were all disturbingly absent. The world was eerily still. As though it were holding its breath, waiting for the storm to pass. The news had spread and as the sun began to rise into the sky the towns' beasts were preparing to either fight or flee. Samuel had forced the decision as his fear was realized and the most terrible omen had passed. He knew that the time to act had passed and at that moment he stood before his sword, staring at the reflection into his own eyes, searching for some sort of reassurance, finding none.  
  
"So it has come to this . . ." He muttered with a sigh, glancing down at his dirt-covered paws. Glancing out the window he saw the carefully mounded dirt at the top of the hill, marked only by a stone. It was just another grave the mouse had dug. He had no tears to shed. They had all been shed for the ones before, his family, his children. His friends. The mouse simply had no more.  
  
"Samuel?" A voice called from outside. With a quick glance he found Jadon standing at the doorway.  
  
"Yes Jadon?" Samuel had never really gotten to know the ferret, he'd been a newcomer not too long ago, but the old mouse was quite sure that he would probably never be able to.  
  
"I'm jus' here to tell ye that everybeast that's leavin' is prepared an' everybeast that's stayin' ta fight is prepared to do so, sir." The ferret replied, his tone unwavering. His fears buried far below the surface.  
  
"I understand." Samuel nodded his consent, returning his gaze to the old sword in the chest, admiring its terrible beauty, losing himself in the shining blade once again.  
  
"Tis a beauty, sir." Jadon spoke suddenly, pulling Samuel from his daydreams.  
  
"Aye, that she is . . .tis a pity . . ." The mouse muttered, taking the blade down from its resting place.  
  
"Sir?" Jadon asked, glancing from the keen blade to the mouse and back again, a bi confused by his emotions.  
  
"Tis a pity what shall happen to this blade . . ." Samuel answered, letting out another sigh.  
  
"What do ye mean?" The ferret asked, still confused.  
  
"Well, it's goin' to fall into the paws of scum . . ." Samuel replied sullenly.  
  
"Ye 'ave to 'ave more faith then that Samuel." Jadon said, moving to the mouse's side. "I don't think that she'll go down without a fight, do you?" The ferret asked with a smile.  
  
"That she won't do." With that Samuel handed the blade to Jadon. "Take good care of 'er."  
  
"Me?" Jadon asked, a little nervous as he held the magnificent blade by the hilt, glancing up and down the double-edged sword, admiring its polished shine. "But why?"  
  
"I know that you'll handle 'er well." The mouse nodded at his statement, glancing out the window at the hill before turning to face the ferret again. "We'll move out immediately, gather everybeast at the inn."  
  
"Yes sir." Jadon replied with a sharp salute, sheathing his new blade before darting out the door. Samuel smiled at the ferret's energy, shaking his head a little before glancing back to the dirt mound on the hill.  
  
"Thank you Riala . . ."He murmured before walking out the door into the new day's shadows.  
  
The horde was just over the hill from the town, they were close enough that they could see the smoke from chimneystacks. Tension hung over their camp like a fog, everybeast was busy, sharpening weapons, drawing up plans, readying themselves for the battle that was to come as well as the battles that remained unknown. The divisions in the horde could be seen clearly, a good third of the horde wore bandanas made from strips of clothing to distinguish themselves, while the rest of the horde were dressed normally.  
  
"Ye ready for all this, Hale?" A weasel wondered aloud, sharpening his blade as his friend, a young ferret, polished a medium sized dagger.  
  
"I dunno, s'pose I am, but I'm hopin' that we can all get out of here somehow." The ferret replied. Sighing as he sheathed his blade, Hale fell back onto a makeshift chair made from his own half filled pack. "How 'bout you, Hallan?"  
  
"If I could get out of 'ere I would, but you know I haven't got that choice." Hallan stopped sharpening his blade, plopping down in the dirt next to his friend, inspecting his blade thoroughly before reaching into his own pack for a bandana. "Ye think everybeast is goin' ta be ready for this?"  
  
"I doubt it. How can you prepare for something such as this?" Hale responded, tying his own bandana, a strip of cloth from his tunic dyed red, on his head.Hale  
  
"Ye can't really . . ."Hallan muttered as he tied his bandana on his head as well, strapping on his belts and other supplies that he would carry into battle. "It's going to be hell." The weasel chuckled softly, nervously at what was to happen.  
  
"Aye, fittin' weather ain't it?" Hale chuckled as well, both of them trying to relax a bit before what could very much be their last moments on earth. The ferret was lucky however, only beasts he had ever cared about were already dead, he had nothing left to lose save for his friend.  
  
"That it tis, mate." Hallan replied with a smile, glancing up at the overcast skies that threatened to rain at any moment, rolls of thunder sounding in the distance.  
  
"I just hope that Rikaaj can get them out of here, we're goin' ta need beasts to fall back on in case the battle goes sour." The ferret said, jerking his head in the direction of the slave lines.  
  
"Don't worry, if she can't, somebeast will. They're too important." Hallan stated reassuringly before he stood up, offering a paw to help up his friend. "C'mon, we best eat before anything starts. Ain't no use dyin' on an empty stomach."  
  
"Guess ye got a point there." The ferret replied, taking the weasel's paw. Pulling the ferret to his foot paws quickly and then the two friends walked off towards the kitchen tents for a bit of food, both of them trying hard to distract themselves from the terrible truth of what was to come.  
  
The town stood empty, desolate in the new day's sun, the streets were blockaded as best the defenders could with the limited time. Most of the town had already left including Samuel as their leader, leaving only about two score or so beasts left to defend the town, all of them hoping for a home advantage and a miracle. Currently the defenders were spread throughout the town, any beasts with the skill had taken up sniping positions as others hid in wait with an assortment of weaponry ranging from knives and hatchets to spears and swords. The leaders were gathered at the moment in the tavern, which stood at the center of the town, a great position for a central command.  
  
"Do ye think that they were caught?" Jadon asked nervously, glancing around the bar at the other beasts before returning his gaze to the bar's right window, watching for any signs of the scouts they had sent out, but only finding the empty streets.  
  
"I know what ye mean, they've been got too long, but we mustn't lose hope." A short, middle-aged otter maid replied as she put a paw upon his shoulder, idly twirling her dagger in her other paw. "Tis all we have for now."  
  
"Wait, I think I see 'em." An old weasel yelled, waving everybeast over to the left window of the tavern to look. Down the street came the two scouts, a pair of squirrels, both well camouflaged and armed, quickly they burst into the bar, gasping for breath under a barrage of questions.  
  
"So what did ye see?"  
  
"Was the vixen right?"  
  
"How many?"  
  
"Quiet, let them have a bit of air before ye suffocate 'em." One voice cried out above the rest, silencing the tavern for a moment as the squirrels caught their breath.  
  
"Aye, the vixen was most definitely right . . ." One of the squirrels began, taking off a pair of belts that crossed his chest so he could breath easier.  
  
"There must 'ave been hundreds of 'em . . ." The other continued, picking up where the other had left off.  
  
"An' all of them are armed an' ready ta move . . ."  
  
"They're getting' in ranks right now as we speak . . ."  
  
"We haven't much time before they pass the hills a move to attack." The first squirrel finished off, both of them collapsing into chairs as immediately the tavern degraded into murmurs until Jadon got them under control, silencing them with an ear-splitting whistle.  
  
"You heard Gavan an' Rocco, we haven't any time to waste. We have to get ready for them now." Jadon stated, unsheathing the blade given to him by Samuel, remembering the mouse fondly as he admired the great battle blade. "We're all here to defend our home and that is what we shall do. Whatever the outcome we will all fight against these invaders."  
  
"Aye, let's get to it, mate." A voice called out cheerfully.  
  
"Aye." Came the chorus of agreements and immediately everybeast sat down to business, working quickly to formulate a plan to defend their home. Every single creature in the tavern knew that the day would claim many lives, many souls for the dark forest.  
  
An hour passed and everybeast in Viand's horde was ready to fight, everybeast was ready to die. Viand stood at the front of his grand army with Jalin at his side, both of them staring down upon the town from the top of the hill, both with evil grins upon their faces.  
  
"Lord Viand, do we attack?" Jalin asked, already knowing the answer as the ferret toyed with his steel whip idly, a bloodlust already growing within the ferret's soul.  
  
"We attack now." Viand replied with a hiss, cold eyes staring at the town, something was familiar about it, something he couldn't quite understand. The command spread and the army began to cascade down the hill towards the town as the sky suddenly turned dark, a wind sweeping up as if to announce the horrors to come. Then, a single flaming missile fell down from the sky, followed by scores of them pouring down upon the town and then all hell broke loose. The horrors of battle realized. 


	24. Part Two, Chapter Twenty Four Epilogue

~Part Two ~ Into The Twilight Winter~

~Chapter Twenty Four, Epilogue~

~The Survivor's Journal~

We all saw the fires, we all heard the sounds of battle, we all heard those terrible noises as our friends died by the dozens. I had stayed at the back to catch a few last glimpses of my home before leaving when I saw it. A single flaming arrow streaking into my home, then followed by what must have been hundreds of fire arrows and then, with the town ablaze the army came. A massive collection of beasts flowing over the hill as water flows in a river. Even from the distance I could hear the terrible cries of the battle as they overwhelmed our defenders . . .I felt it as my friends died in the horrors. I stared down upon it and then hell truly came up from the depths to grace the earth with its horrors . . .I watched the bloodbath as my home burned and the furies of nature were unleashed upon the fighters, down from the heavens came lighting, lighting up the landscape as the sky darkened and a blizzard settled down upon the land . . .

I couldn't watch it anymore, no beast could . . .I turned away and we all ran on . . .we ran from the horrors . . .we ran from our home . . . we just ran. We ran for hours until the sun finally settled and darkness fell and now we are camped out, none of us daring to light a fire as the temperature drops . . .no beast believes that we shall survive, but we try to keep some sort of hope up . . . I do not know where we will go, but I know hat we cannot go back . . .there's nothing there for anybeast anymore.

~Unknown

~The Abbot's Diary~

Back at Redwall, the young abbot sat in his chair, penning his thoughts into a small book as he had done everyday since gaining the title. Every so often the otter would glance out the frost-covered window, searching for something that just was not to be found, before he continued with his writings. 

"It has been days since our warriors left, bound North by our guiding spirit, Martin the Warrior, to defend some unknown town in the northlands. Not much has changed in their absence . . .at least not at the surface, but there is something. As of late there has been a cold wind that has settled upon our abbey, a dark cloud hovering above both figuratively as well as literally. A dark mood seems to hang overhead, the winter season seems to have come early, the trees are bare-limbed, the orchards frosted over and the air is frigid, the snows have already begun to fall. Everybeast lives indoors now, hardly ever straying outside. We all sit around the fire, listening to epic tales of bravery and courage as we have down in countless seasons past, but there is something different.

It's something I can't quite put by paw on, even as I sit here contemplating it, but it is there, sitting there at the back of mind, waiting to be discovered. There is something that feels as though it is missing, I stand in front of the great tapestry of Redwall's history, staring up at the picture of our founder, Martin the Warrior and a I feel nothing. None of the usual comforts of our guiding spirit, I fear that we have lost the guardian of our abbey. I find myself wishing for the things I took for granted a mere few weeks ago, I wish to be able to seek the advice of our founders, perhaps a silly idea, but one I had taken for granted. Now I just feel cold and alone among friends, every shadow seems to be some horrible creature and no beast feels safe anymore. The stories of seasons past unable to help us in the present, I fear that a terrible evil shall be upon us soon and we shall have no defense . . .we are helpless . . .we . . ."

Suddenly a soft noise caught the otter's attention causing him to drop the book in fright, his quill clattering to the floor. Glancing around the room he found nothing out of place, a fire burning gently in the fireplace, everything perfectly all right.

"Hello? Anybeast there?" The Abbot inquired, rising from his chair, moving to the door where he believed the sound had come from. Opening the door a crack the otter glanced out into the hall to find it to be nothing more then a dark and desolate corridor, devoid of all life. "Hello?" He called into the hall, listening as it echoed softly through the corridors. Shaking his head, the otter closed the door, cursing himself for letting his imagination.

"You are the abbot I presume." A voice said, causing the young otter to jump, spinning around to find a glint in the shadows behind his desk.

"Yes. I am the Abbot of Redwall . . .who are you?" The abbot replied, his voice shaking slightly, wondering how the shadow beast got into his room.

"I am no beast of consequence." The shadow responded and suddenly the lamps that had lit the room blew out, leaving the otter feeling alone in the shadows, accompanied only by the sound of his own breath. "This is not an end, this is a beginning." The shadow spoke cryptically and suddenly the abbot found a blade against his throat, seemingly held by nothing. "We shall meet again." A quick movement of the blade and the young otter found himself falling into darkness, lost forever in the shadows.

~End Part Two~


	25. Part Three, Chapter Twenty Five

~Part Three ~ Afterthoughts~

~Chapter Twenty Five~

_Just stay alive,_ the voices echoed on endlessly in a constant chant. Everything was cold and dark, I couldn't tell where I was, all memories of it were stripped away and everything I knew now was the dark gray haze that seemed to envelop me. I tried to remember, but I was given only a blank slate and a sharp pounding headache for my troubles.

_Just keep breathing,_ the voices told me, beginning to echo louder now, changing its tone and message, a bit more urgent now. It was the voice of a stranger, I knew it was not my own, but past that I couldn't recollect much of anything. Slowly reality began to seep in, I could hear myself breathing in short, shallow gasps, unable to get enough air with a single breath, but too tired to take another. My lungs burned with a faint, constant pain. A strange smell swept over me, blown by some wayward breeze, a familiar sickly sweet smell assaulting my senses.

_Keep breathing,_ the chant changed once again; it was becoming faint as if it had moved farther away as reality began to take over. I struggled with unconsciousness, fighting for reality to come and reassert it's control. Finally my eyes opened to reveal a brilliant gray hovering above; the edges of my vision blurred and my perceptions were frayed and broken. Again I tried to remember, but all I received was a collection of broken images, broken fragments far too small to make any kind of picture inside the frame.

_Remember the path, _those were the voices final words as they left me, I felt suddenly alone. Reality had come back; the pain was a part of me once again. The numbness brought on by death had faded and I could move, painfully so, but I felt more in control now. Turning myself slowly to find a the blurred shadows of a snow covered forest to my right, a set of tracks leading to where I lay, I could feel the warmth of my own blood as I smelled its all too familiar fragrance.

Slowly I could feel my strength slowly returning to my body, I sat up painfully, a paw holding the wound to my abdomen. Groaning a little, I took my paw from it to find it stained red with my own blood. Looking around some more, I found that I was more or less alone, a few stray birds sitting in the white crested trees as I sat in the very center of a snow covered meadow. For a few seconds I admired the beauty of the freshly fallen snow before the pain came back as a reminder of my wounds.

"Why?" I asked a tree, getting up carefully I went over to the tree and as I leaned on it I began to question it about all my mysteries.

"What happened?" No response save for the gentle groan of the wood as it swayed in the wind.

"Who am I?" Silence and nothing more.

"What am I?" Even that he didn't know, glancing at one of his frostbitten foot paws, his long furred tail flicking idly.

"Where is this?" Somewhere a bird called out, sighing I slid down the side of the tree and sat in the freezing snows as I tried to sort through the broken pieces. The wind blew through the trees bringing with it a cold chill; still confused I leaned back against the tree, trying to remember. My eyelids suddenly felt very heavy, the feeling of cold snow stinging at my body faded into the background and I felt myself slip away into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Images whirled past, different scenes from different times, different place. They seemed almost too many for them to be all from a single lifetime, scenes of happy times and scenes of disasters. The flow of images slowed and I found myself alone in a small room, once the part of a happy little home, watching as a squirrel stood over a bed, staring into his wife's eyes as she lay dying under the sheets. I walked through the room like a ghost, unnoticed by its inhabitants, they were blurred and their voices were muted, but it was clear to me what they were talking about.

She was trying to warn him in her last moments, her eyes had already fogged over as she fought for life on some other plain, while her husband could only watch her struggle, his paw firmly grasping hers. She whispered something as her sightless eyes looked through a wall at something unseen by anybeast living and then eyes wide in terror she died with her last words frozen in the air.

Run… 

_She said run…_

_From what…? _Voices began stirring once more as the squirrel let his wife's paw drop to the bed, confusion and fear both plainly obvious in his demeanor. Then I saw it, the shadow of a beast passing through the room's door and stand next to the squirrel, whatever it was nobeast knew it was there, it's presence went unnoticed by the squirrel. It whispered something in his ear softly and the squirrel's eyes suddenly lit up with determination.

The darkness, take Nana and run, I barely heard its soft whispers, but it was obvious that the squirrel had as he immediately left the room, his movements steady and determined. I had backed myself into a corner while this had happened, I was afraid of the shadow, but I didn't know, or at least didn't remember, why. It didn't seem all that threatening, unnatural and mysterious yes, but not threatening as it stood over the now dead maid collecting something from her body before in disappeared through the door again. 

_What is all this, _I wondered, it felt far too real for this to be just a simple manifestation of my imagination, it felt as if it were a memory I was now reliving. It was just far too real. Curious I stepped into the middle of the room glancing at the dead squirrel before I stepped out into the hall, passing straight through the door as the shadow had just moments before.

I came into a hall where a small window was the only source of light, casting the moon's pale light across the hall to land on my foot paws. The air was stale, the hall felt as if it were ancient and full of history despite it's new wooden floors and walls, but most of all it was cold. It felt as if somebeast paw had wrapped itself around me, it was an almost suffocating feeling to be in the hall.

I walked down the hall until I came upon a door leading outside, stepping through the threshold I found myself in the middle of a light snowfall, the moonlight glinting the fresh white surface. A cold wind swept through my fur as I stood, admiring the freshly covered landscape until I heard it. A piercing scream cut through the night air, turning I found that I was on the outskirts of a town, a town that was now engulfed in flames.

"What's going on?" I watched as one home collapsed, a ferret mother and her kit running for their lives as the father lay breathing his last beneath the smoldering wreckage of what had once been a home. Many creatures were out around the town; I could hear screams of pain and war as a group of beasts ran through lighting building aflame, cutting down innocent towns beasts as they ran for their lives. A rain of arrows fell, bringing death to all below, both innocents and those of the horde, the snow seemed to pick up speed as I stood in shock.

The storm seemed to pick up as I felt flurries of stinging cold snow sweep around my ankles, then it turned to red as the once beautiful landscape was died red by blood and fire. Quickly I shook myself from my shock as the house behind me burst into flames and ash began to fall, I ran away from the town alongside a young ferret maid who carried with her the bundled form of a dibbun. My breath was a rapid series of ragged gasps as I ran, tripped over my own foot paws, fear giving me the wings to escape.

Then I tripped and fell, the wind knocked out of me I lay there for a moment, eyes shut, trying to keep out the sounds of the carnage I had just witnessed. I opened them and there I saw it, the clouding stare of the ferret maid, a small trickle of blood running from her gasping mouth as she took her last breaths, paws still clutching her child. I lay, rooted to the spot, staring into the child's eyes; it was a little boy whose life had just begun. He did not cry for his fallen mother, he had no concept of death, no concept of the fact that he was now an orphan, alone. I heard his mother take a last breath, a sort of half sigh, resigning herself to her fate as the babe looked on, a confused look upon its young features, oblivious to death around it.

Suddenly a pair of bloodstained paws reached down and lifted the child up from the snow, carefully brushing off flecks of snow, holding the babe in a careful grip. I watched as the babe reached out from it's bundle, grasping at the fur of an old wolf maid, her weathered features making her seem older, ancient and wise in the ways of the world. She held the child, a stray tear falling from her eye as she glanced back at the town, the flames silhouetted by darkness and smoke. Ashes fell from the sky among the snow turning the landscape into a patchwork of red, gray and white, fallen beasts scattered everywhere.

I stayed perfectly still, untrusting of the wolf as she sighed heavily before making her way back towards the town. The screams had been silenced almost as soon as they had begun and the flames began to die down, but still an eerie glow hovered over the town. As soon as the wolf had left I rose, trying to keep quiet I shadowed her, dodging between the cover of the smoldering ashes of the town, a half burned tree or bush sometimes providing a hiding spot.

The wolf moved all the way to the center of the town where a bonfire burned brightly, a ring of beasts standing around it. Oblivious to the cold weather and the carnage about them, they stood with eyes intently staring into the flames as if they were waiting for something. I moved along the shadows, my eyes still upon the wolf maid and her stolen bundle, she didn't move to the circle, instead she kept to the shadows until suddenly she disappeared into the thick darkness. Quickly I followed, going to where she had disappeared before stopping, something was wrong, definitely wrong.

I glanced back to find the town gone, only a snow covered wonderland in its place, the ash and the blood absent from the scene. It was the perfect glistening scene I had witnessed before. It was completely devoid of all creatures, only rolling hills snow going on, unbroken into infinity as they disappeared into the dark, I then turned and found myself elsewhere, at the steps of a long forgotten stone building. The stones were weathered and ancient, glancing up I could just make out the outlines of a stained-glass window, but I couldn't see the glasses' design.

_Go in,_ A voice told me, it almost felt as if the building were calling to me, I glanced to the door, an old wooden door stained a dark brown by time, it was open a crack. A bright light shone from the small space, cutting through the dark, slowly and nervously I made my way towards the door. Stopping I examined the door to find symbols carved into the wood, pictures of events I could not decipher though they felt familiar, I ran a paw over the symbols. They were so familiar.

_Truth lies within,_ A voice echoed softly, I felt something pulling me to the building; something inside was waiting for me, some purpose I had to serve. I pushed through the door and heard it slam shut behind me as I stood staring at the interior in awe; it was very different from the exterior. The building was nearly pure white on the inside, the windows he saw now depicted strange creatures, almost demonic looking beasts, all dressed in flowing black cloaks save for one figure at the very top of the door.

I stared up at the design, it looked as though a pretty otter maid was kneeling, arms spread wide in welcoming, she wore a simple white cloak, stained red with what could have been blood. Behind her stood a shadowy figure, a very familiar looking beast dressed in a simple black cloak that hid it's features, it wielding a strange looking blade. Confused by all of this I turned away from the picture, glancing down the building, it was long and narrow, rows of white benches ling a long aisle that lead to a great shapeless statue of white.

I suddenly had a headache, stumbling down the aisle a ways I moved to sit on a bench, my eyes staring at the statue, I almost felt as though there was something inside, yearning for freedom. I tore my eyes away from it and stared straight down at the floor, busying myself with watching the progress of a speck of dust as it moved across the floor. Then I heard another beast enter, paw steps walking down the aisle of the building.

_Your task awaits,_ The same voiced echoed, raising my head I saw that a vixen had entered, a look of shock and confusion upon her features, plainly present in her eyes.

"What is this?" She asked, still having not noticed my presence.

"What happened?" I asked, the vixen jumped as she noticed me. Calming down a bit she moved towards me, asking a question of her own.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone is gone now."

"I . . ." She began, but I cut her off, something inside myself had the words, as if this were just me running through the same scenario for a second time.

" . . .Don't know." I finished her statement. "No beast wants to answer that. You should go as well, join the others." I pointed back towards the door; some power had seemingly possessed me as I went on, pointing back towards the buildings door.

"Others?" She asked, curious. "Where have they all gone?" The vixen demanded, making her further towards me, but I had no answers, I could only smile a strange twisted smile. "Who are you?"

"Me?" I pondered the question, I didn't really know the answer, but then I felt myself respond anyways as the answers seemed to discover themselves. "My name is Avel." I stared at the vixen for a moment before another answer came to light. "Riala?"

"Yes." Riala answered, a bit confused and scared by fact that I seemed to know her, but then her fear took over. "Where have they gone?"

"Away, where you should be. The shadows are coming, you should escape while you still can or your fate is sealed." Another answer I didn't know came from me, my tone was sincere, but it was obvious that I was worried for the vixen, but I couldn't tell why.

"Why?" She asked again, putting her paw on my shoulder, her paw felt cold, an almost deathly feeling.

"That is a question no beast seems to be able to answer." I smiled again and then there was a loud crash, I looked to find that the statue had crashed, sending up a great blinding light. My vision turned to white and then to black as consciousness found me.


	26. Part Three, Chapter Twenty Six

~Part Three ~ Afterthoughts~

~Chapter Twenty Six~

Slowly the dream faded away and distant in the background I could hear the soft crackling of a fire. I felt it's warmth and as my mind cleared I realized I had been moved. I definitely was not in the same place as before, the cold winds and freezing snows were gone; my water soaked clothes were gone, replaced by a warm, comfortable blanket that was bundled around me. Slowly opening my eyes, blinking away the fog of sleep that had clouded my vision, I found myself staring up at a wood ceiling. There was the reddish, pulsating glow of a fire casting itself over it faintly, I must have been brought there while I had been out, while the cold of the weather had numbed my senses.

_What was that?_ I wondered, still staring up at the ceiling, remaining almost perfectly motionless. The dream had been so real, like something out of a memory, but it couldn't possibly have been. Then again how would I know, the answers were sealed away, the keys lost and scattered and all the memories were just broken shards of a mirror, too small too reveal anything. All I could remember was the dream, though I would have thought it would have been lost as well, it couldn't have been, but for all I knew it could have just been some ghost from the past coming back to haunt me.

_Perhaps it had all been a memory_, at least then I would have some kind of clue, some answers to my questions, at least it seemed to answer a few questions like who I was. At least I had a name now, something to bind myself to and something to build myself on even with the lack of knowing 'who'. Still lying still I stared at the ceiling, the dream playing itself over in my head, casting itself into physical manifestations in the constantly shifting, glowing lights upon the ceiling.

"Ah, so yer up?" A voice asked, echoing off the ceiling, interrupting the soft, soothing crackle of the fire, I snapped my head in the direction of the sound to find an elderly fox, draped in a simple robe, getting up from a large, overstuff chair by the fire. The flames roared behind him, casting an ominous shadow over the fox's features as he made his way towards me, hobbling a bit. Finding some source of strength I backed myself up against a barrier, glancing around I found that I was in a cabin of some sort in a bed that ran along one of the walls. Not knowing whether I could trust the fox or not I began searching for an exit or at the very least, some means to fight and then I found it.

"Back up." I ordered in a hushed voice, jumping off the bed, wielding a long bloodstained dagger that had been lying on a small wooden table next to the bed. The fox immediately halted his progress towards me, leaning heavily against a table set in the middle of the cabin, sighing a bit.

"Nobeast does 'ave trust these days do they?" He smiled a bit strangely. "Do ye really tink dat I'd kill ye jus' after I rescued ye from dat storm?"

"You rescued me?" I asked, unsure of if I was trying to buy time or not, the fox began his progress towards me as I slowly lowered the blade, but still keeping it in a tight grip, ready for use. Rolling his blue hued eyes, the fox came a little closer and stopped well within the range of my blade, obviously trying to show that he meant no harm.

"Yep I certainly did, ye were about frozen solid when I came across ye." The fox smiled a little, I loosened my grip on the blade a bit. He seemed sincere enough to me and didn't really seem like the type to backstab though it went against my view of his species. "Why would I 'ave bandaged ye?"

"Yeah . . ." I muttered, glancing down I saw that my midsection had been tightly bandaged, only a bit of crimson showing through the strips of white cloth. It had most definitely been deadly wound before; the snow must have kept the bleeding down to a minimum until the fox had come along. "Thank you." I muttered softly, I was thankful, but confused over why the fox had saved me, any sane beast wouldn't have wasted their time, assuming that I was dead by the storms wrath.

"No thanks needed, I did what I 'ad ta." The fox bowed a bit, grinning as I put the dagger back onto the small table.

"Why did you have to?" I asked with a bit of confusion leaking into my tone, the question was still bothering me as I climbed back onto the bed, legs dangling off of the edge. The fox merely shrugged in response.

"Mebbe curiosity, mebbe chance or mebbe fate. An' a da on'y thing dat matter's is that it happened. No need ta get into da why o' it." The fox shook off the question, going back to the fireplace; I watched as he mixed something in a small, black pot that hung over the roaring fire. "What were ye doin' out there anyways?" He asked over his shoulder.

"I'm not totally sure . . ." I had to have been out there for some reason, probably dragged out there to be executed for some reason, if only I knew why.

"Ye ain't sure?" The fox turned from the fire, rising with a small cup he had dipped into the boiling cauldron, slowly he began limping over to the bed.

"I don't remember why . . ." I trailed off, glancing over at the knife again.

"Ye don't remember eh? Well, I can tell ye one thing, somebeast don't like you very much. I found that near you, it's probably your blood on it." The fox had picked up the small dagger, turning it over in his paws he examined it carefully, running a finger across the blood stained edge. "Newly sharpened too." He muttered drawing back his finger to reveal a long thin slice on it, blood already beginning to seep out through it.

"Well . . ." I began, not so sure where to go, but I didn't get the chance as the fox luckily cut me off before I could sound like an idiot.

"Y'know what I want ta know?" He asked, wrapping his finger with a small roll of cloth taken from a pocket hidden in his robe, it began to turn a crimson hue almost immediately.

"What?"

"What would a beast 'ave against a young ferret like yerself . . ." He trailed off into silence, glancing over the dagger once again with his keen eyes; I stared at him for a moment before saying something.

"Ferret?" I asked, slightly curious.

"Yeah ferret. Don't tell me ye don' even know that . . ." The fox glanced up from the blade, a look of surprise mixed with a bit of amusement on his face, chuckling a bit he set the dagger down on the table once again. "Mebbe I should take a look at yer head again in that case." He moved to the very edge of the bed, motioning for me to glance down at the floor he began brushing some of my fur away, trying to get a clear view of my head.

"Anything?" I asked after he'd been searching through my head fur for a few minutes, muttering to himself quietly as he examined my skull.

"Well I don't really see anything that'd keep ye from rememberin', but I could be wrong. I ain't exactly the best at this sorta thing. Ye remember anything at all?" He took his paws away allowing me to sit up straight again, brushing my head fur down I though for a moment. There had been something in that dream . . .

"My name I think . . ." I started, struggling to recall that one piece of the dream, it seemed to be buried beneath the other parts, namely the vixen and the building.

"Well, if ye know it, ye know it." The fox said, smiling a little as he leaned against the table heavily.

"Avel?" I wasn't too sure, but it sounded about right, I struggled a bit to remember the vixen's name as well, it had been something like 'Rill', 'Real' or something like that.

"Well, if you say it is then it is. 'Lo Avel, me name's Ryo." The old vulpine stuck out his paw for me to shake; nervously I took it, shaking his surprisingly strong paw. "Welcome to me humble abode." Grinning Ryo bowed, waving a paw over his small, but comfortable home. It looked like it was made almost entirely of wood save for the rush roof. Dark brown stones built up a small fireplace and lead upward into an impressive looking chimney; it was decorated mainly by a number of weapons on the inside as well as a huge circular shield. Around the fire place sat two large chairs as well as a small table that looked like it was used more for food then anything else.

"It's nice." I glanced around some more; it was a rather simple setup. In fact the chimneystack was probably the only notable thing in the entire cabin. It was very basic, just a door, a few windows and the fireplace really, a few pieces of furnishings and not much else.

"Yep, ain't much, but I'd say it makes a nice lil' home." The fox smiled with pride at his meager home. It definitely felt like a home more then any other place I remembered, but of course that's really not saying much. "Well I've got some food almost ready if yer hungry . . ." He muttered, slightly nervous sounding as he pointed towards the boiling pot over the fire, " . . .it's jus' some stew, but . . ."

"Sure, that sounds good." My stomach was already growling and I began to smell the stews aroma, it was something with meat of some kind, probably a few vegetables thrown in. I didn't really care though, at this point I'd eat almost anything, I quite literally had a hole in my stomach.

"Good, shouldn't take much more than a minute or two." Ryo smiled a little returning to the fire, stirring in a few more things into the stew as tendrils of steam rose up through the stack. In a few minutes we were both sitting around the small table, now cleaned up and adorned with an old white tablecloth, the stew was really good. A bit spicy, but it gave me the feeling of warmth and security.

"Mmm . . .that was really good, what's in it?" I asked curiously taking a sip of some wine that Ryo had taken from a nearby keg where all of his dishes, all of them wooden, were stacked precariously.

"Chef's secret, me daughter would kill me if I were ta give out our old family recipe." Ryo winked a bit, smiling he lay back in one of the chairs he had pulled over from the fire, he was probably reliving some old happy memories, good times with his daughter.

"Where is she?" I asked, just trying to keep a conversation going and besides that, I figured that the fox was a beast with a history; at a glance I could see ancient scars in his fur, mostly healed.

"Your guess is as good as mine. She left with her mother a few seasons back an' headed south towards Mossflower. Never seen 'er since then." Ryo slowly shook his head at the memory, obviously depressed by it; I quickly tried to find something else to talk about, something happier.

"What was she like?" I asked, she had to have been a light in his life if he was depressed by her absence.

"Well she's probably different nowadays, but back then she was greatest little kid I could 'ave ever asked for. Nice, beautiful an' all of that." He glanced into the fire, probably seeing old memories dancing among the flames, disappearing into wisps of smoke. "That was awhile ago, no need to dig old memories . . ."

"Why not?" I was a bit envious of the fox; at least he had something to remember, why would he want to forget something like his own daughter?

"I'd jus' rather not dig 'em up, that's 'bout it though. Do I need another reason ta avoid 'em?" The fox chuckled at some unspoken joke; I simply sat and stared at the old vulpine. If he was trying to avoid answering he was doing it very badly. I was about to say something in response, but I was cut off, as there was loud banging of the fox's door, he rose with a look of confusion on his face

"Who'd be knockin' on the door in weather like this?" He wondered aloud as he hobbled towards the door slowly, casually grabbing an old curved dagger as he went, he sidled up next to the cabin door. "Anybeast there?" He asked softly, just barely loud enough for me to hear.

"Yeah an' their freezing their tail off too." A voice called back, it must have been pretty windy, glancing to the window I saw that darkness had fallen on the woods and ice now caked the glass. Raising his dagger Ryo slowly let the door creak open and with a gust of wind it fell in.


	27. Part Three, Chapter Twenty Seven

~Part Three ~ Afterthoughts~

~Chapter Twenty Seven~

"Ismene?" Ryo gasped slightly as the tired form of a small squirrel, dressed in layers for winter, tumbled head over tail, blown by a powerful gust of wind into the cabin, knocking the old fox down, the dagger thrown from his grasp as snow quickly began to flood in. Quickly rising I dashed to the door and using my whole body I struggled for a minute against the powerful north wind to close the door before turning to the pair on the floor. They had untangled themselves from each other and the squirrel maid, Ismene, was helping Ryo up carefully.

"Sorry 'bout that Ryo." Ismene apologized as she pulled the old fox up onto his foot paws.

"Ismene what're ye doin' all the way out here durin' a storm like this?" Ryo asked, the anger in his tone covering up his apparent worry for the squirrel maids well-being as he stared into he pretty blue eyes with a look that would have frozen fire itself.

"My parents sent me to tell ye that . . ." Ismene paused for a moment as she noticed my existence for the first time. "Hey, who's yer friend?" I was about to answer her myself, but Ryo quickly cut me off with a wave of his paw, obviously intent on getting his answers.

"There's time later for that, tell me why you were out in that storm riskin' death to come here?" The old fox demanded in a strong voice that just could not be questioned.

"Well as I was sayin', my parents sent me o'er here to tell ye dat they're expectin' an' they want ye ta work some o' yer magic to make sure everythin' goes alright." Ismene answered Ryo's question quickly, never taking her eyes off of me as I shuffled my foot paws nervously under her piercing stare. "So are ye goin' ta answer my question? Who is yer friend?"

"My name's Avel." I answered in a quiet voice, suddenly finding myself shying away from her slightly.

"Avel eh? Where are ye from? I haven't seen ye 'round here before . . ." Ismene asked, sparing no time, but luckily Ryo interjected, saving me from looking like an idiot.

"Aye, 'is name is Avel. So how're ye came all this way fer some magic eh?" Ryo asked, smiling a bit as he motioned for Ismene and I to sit down at the table.

"Aye, but I know, I know. It ain't magic, it's all real." Ismene smiled back as she rolled her eyes, as she peeled off the top three layers of her outfit, which consisted of numerous cloaks and sweaters, before sitting down at the table.

"I'm sure your quite hungry from yer walk." Ryo motioned to the pot, which sat over the fire still, about half full.

"Aye sir, I certainly am." Ismene smiled, liking her lips a bit as she rose to get some of the stew, but Ryo simply waved her back to her seat, preferring to get it himself.

"No need missy, I can get it myself. Yer my guest after all." With his back to us, Ismene quickly took advantage of the situation to ask me a few more questions.

"Avel right?" She asked suddenly, startling me slightly, I had been intently focusing on the storm outside, watching as flurries of white cascaded downwards from the sky to the ground.

"Yeah, Avel."

"So where are ye from? Are ye from the south? Yer from Mossflower ain't ya?" She asked in a barrage, I found myself with a mental stutter for a moment as I tried to figure out how to say 'I don't know' without sounding like an idiot. Finding none I simply shrugged.

"I'm from around." I answered vaguely, hoping it would be good enough for her, but it wasn't.

"Around? You hidin' somethin'?" Luckily for me Ryo returned, saving me for a second time that night, he gave Ismene a bowl and then replaced mine with a full bowl as well.

"Wow, sure does smell good don't it?" Ismene stated, taking a good whiff of the fox's stew before downing it quickly in a mighty gulp, I hadn't even had the chance to raise my spoon. Raising an eyebrow I glanced at Ryo who was chuckling softly.

"Impressive ain't she?" Ryo smiled brightly, grabbing the young squirrel maid another bowl, which disappeared just as quickly. By this time I had taken two bites and wasn't anywhere near taking a third as I stared in awe of Ismene, watching as the latter half of the stew disappeared into her small frame. Soon the little squirrel had fallen asleep, an empty bowl in front of her and I had finally finished mine as well.

 "Where did she put it all?" I said as I glanced over at the fire to find a near empty pot hanging over the fire, Ryo simply chuckled as he rose from his chair, moving to the squirrel's side.

"I don't know mate, but that's what she does every time she comes o'er here, almost worries me sometimes . . ." Ryo shrugged as he wrapped a small blanket around Ismene's small body, then lifting her he moved her slowly onto a small bed near the one I had awakened in.

"Worries you that she eats till she passes out?"

"Nope, she passed out because of be, slipped a bit o' the ol' sleepin' dust into 'er stew. Otherwise she'd 'ave been questionin' you an' me till mornin'." Ryo tucked the young maid into the bed, before turning back towards me.

"You drugged her?" I asked, a little surprised, but not particularly shocked by his motives. Ismene did seem like the type that would keep you up all night if given the chance. "Well I can't really question you motives . . ."

"Aw, she's jus' like any other dibbun, jus' curious about . . .well 'bout everythin' I s'pose." Ryo shrugged as he collapsed into the chair across from me. "Ain't you curious 'bout the world?"

"Well yeah, but that's because I don't know anything."

"Exactly, you ain't born knowin' things, it's all learned." Ryo said, waving a paw to the sleeping form of Ismene.

"Are you curious?" I asked, Ryo paused for a moment, searching for an answer.

"No I s'pose I ain't anymore, seen a bit too much of the world myself." The fox answered, slumping slightly in his seat, I was about to respond, but he began again. "No, that ain't totally true, there are some things I wonder 'bout, but they ain't things I can find out. At least not for now . . ."

"Like what?" I pressed, but the fox didn't answer, he simply stared out the window at the blizzard for a long time, immersing himself in a snowflake's journey from the clouds to the earth.

"Y'know, impossible things, meet certain beasts, see certain things . . . y'know, all the things that any beast will dream 'bout. Jus' stuff . . ." Ryo answered, stuttering slightly, struggling with the answers. There had to be some answer the fox was hiding, probably suppressing it beneath the surface, but it was plain that there was something eating away from below.

"Yeah . . ." I answered, the fox's words striking something in me, I wondered what my dreams had been, what my goals in life had been.

"Well . . .'tis getting late so I suppose we all should get to be. You take tea before bed?" Ryo asked, rising to his foot paws, setting about cleaning the dinner pot before setting some water over the fire to boil.

"Uh . . . sure I guess." I answered, not too sure at all on my opinion of tea.

"Ye guess?" The old fox asked, scratching his head in confusion for a moment. "Ah yes, well hope ye'll like it. It 'tis a specialty o' mine." Ryo smiled as he set about making the tea, a sweet aroma was soon flowing from the pot over the fire and in a few more minutes there was a steaming cup of tea set in front of me.

"Smells pretty good." I murmured, swishing the tea around in cup for bit before I too a sip, I was certainly good tea, soothing and flavorful. "This certainly is your special." I said with a smile, finishing off the tea quickly, but then, quite suddenly I was overcome with drowsiness. I felt myself sway in my chair, my sight quickly becoming blurred, my mind became incoherent and the last this I heard before I drifted off to sleep was the clatter of my cup against the table.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the same place again; I found myself in that same town yet again, the same dream as the one I had dreamt less then a day ago. The same town that had been the stage of my personal nightmare, lit on fire, chaos reigning all about me as crimson snows drifted from the sky to bury the landscape in a sea of bloodshed. No, that wasn't quite right. Glancing around, I realized that this was not the same place, the same town certainly, but it was a different time and a very different place. The sun was out; it's life-giving rays filling my vision as they bathed the lands, buildings and beasts in a healthy golden glow.

It was a very different place, the town was completely untouched, almost serene, the perfect picture of innocence. Towns' beasts bustled about their daily routines, traders, farmers, smiths and beasts of countless other crafts mingling in the town's heart, children playing amongst them. Every beast blissfully unaware of my presence as I stood on a hill overlooking the town, gentle breeze's coursing through my fur, the scent of flowers and the town intermingled. This had to be it . . . before the carnage that was to happen . . . yet another memory of that tow that I had found myself in . . .

_Where?_ I had to know where I was, where I had been, but I found that all I had was the memory, no knowledge gained through it, just more questions. Everything had started with this and everything had ended with this. The town was . . .no, it had to be the cause of it all or at the very least the site of it. The one thing I did know for a fact was that this was a place of great importance to me. I could feel a strong tie to the town and the beasts below, much more then the importance brought through the dreams. Something much more . . .

"Hey Avel!" A voice called out from behind me and then I suddenly found some beasts paws upon my shoulders, shaking me from my trance. "Whatcha starin' at?" The voice, definitely that of a maid, asked softly.

"Huh?" I had heard the question, but something had been lost in my understanding of what had been asked of me, I hadn't even bothered glancing up to see who it was.

"I asked ya, what're ye lookin' at?" The voice asked again and finally turning to look I found myself face to face with a young ferret maid, her blue eyes bright and friendly as they bored into mine with a deep curiosity. She was absolutely beautiful.

"Oh, er . . .hey Sarah." I heard myself answering in a nervous, stuttering voice, my tail twitching behind me and I felt suddenly grateful for the layer of fur disguising the deep shade of crimson I was turning. Moving slowly the maid sat down next to me, leaning against me heavily, I wrapped my paws around her comfortingly.

"It's beautiful ain't it?" She asked in her beautifully soft voice.

"Yeah, it is." I answered slowly, sighing a little as I did.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, lifting her head to look at me once again with her piercing blue eyes, it almost felt as though they were burning into me, but I suddenly found my self on autopilot. The memory seemed to simply be playing itself out before me, I was simply along for the ride.

"I don't know, its jus' . . ." I trailed off into silence as I felt an uncertainty growing within me, I found myself drumming by fingers nervously in the grass to some unknown song.

"I know." She said simply.

"You do?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I've known for a while now . . .not on purpose of course, I was going to knock, but I heard you talking about it." She spoke vaguely, but I knew it had made perfect sense then. Unfortunately for now it was all perfect nonsense to me.

"So what do you think?" I heard myself ask nervously, wary of her answer.

"I think it's great, you're going to go off in search of your dreams. I just wish I could go too . . ." Sarah answered, finishing off with a depressed sigh and a down turn of her eyes.

"Well, I don't see any reason why you couldn't." Off in the distance a bell tolled and on instinct both of us stood.

"Avel, you know what my father would say . . ." Slowly we began making our way down the hill, Sarah walking just ahead of me, but at her words I stopped. Noticing that I was suddenly not with her, Sarah turned to find me a few feet above her, looking down with a look of determination on my face. "What?"

"Why does your father have to know? Why can't we just leave now?" I asked her, we stood only feet apart, but with those words the distance seemed to grow to miles, she took a step back down the hill as I finished my question.

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"This is my home." Another two steps away.

"We can find a new home, a better one."

"But my family is here, our friends . . .your family even." Another step.

"We don't need them, we just need each other, why can't we just run away now?" I took a step down towards her, but she simply moved back and I suddenly found the sun glistening off her tear filled eyes.

"You just don't understand Avel, I can't." With this she turned away, walking away slowly.

"Then let me understand." I slid down the hill, stopping right next to the beautiful ferret maid, placing my paws upon her shoulders comfortingly. I held her, unable to let her leave just like that. "Tell me why and I'll never have to ask again."

"I wish I could, I really do, but I can't . . ." She pulled away from my grasp and I found myself empty pawed and alone as the memory splintered and cracked, fading away into darkness as once again consciousness found me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke with a start in the same bed that I had awakened in earlier, it was night, I could hear the soft snores of the little squirrel maid Ismene. Rising groggily from the bed I stumbled out into the room, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. As my vision cleared I found that I was not the only one awake, in front of the fire I could see the silhouetted form of the old fox Ryo. The fire steadily changed it's hue, shifting from it's normal orange to shades of red and blue as well as more exotic colors, like green. Moving to Ryo's side I found his staring intently at the flames, eyes flicking rapidly so he did not miss of movement of the fire.

"What're you doin'?" I whispered to the fox, but Ryo seemed to me lost in a trance. Sitting down at the table I waited for a long time, until quite suddenly the fox was shaken from his trance and the flames returned to normal. Shaking his head, Ryo sighed and turned.

"Avel?" Ryo jumped as he found me just behind him, waiting for him patiently.

"Aye, what were you doing?" I asked Ryo as he slowly made his way to his seat.

"Workin' my magic fer young Ismene." The old fox smiled, nodding his head towards the sleeping form of the squirrel maid.

"So yer a seer of some sort?" I asked, a little curious.

"No not really, me daughter was the seer. I jus' picked up a few o' 'er tricks. I'm more of a warrior turned old healer." Ryo chuckled a little, waving a paw over the various weapons hanging upon the chimneystack.

"So what were you doin'?"

"Watchin' fer the signs. It's what 'er parents wanted." Ryo shrugged a little.

"Signs?"

"Aye, the signs o' the chosen ones. It's all a bunch of myth an' legend, but if some beasts see the signs of a chosen one, they'll kill their own babes. Sickens me, but my way tis much better than the way they'd go about it." The old fox shuddered visibly, I wondered what sort of parent would kill they own based on some myth, but the answer was clear. A superstitious one would.

"What would they do?"

"All manner o' torture. I don't know the specifics, but I've seen enough to know that it's horrible, 'specially fer jus' a babe." Sighing, Ryo pulled his cloak tightly around his body. "Well, there's more time for this on the morn, wouldn't ye say? I think it'd be a good time fer a bit of shut eye." I made as if to say something more, but Ryo had already fallen asleep, probably exhausted by the flames.

"G'night Ryo." I whispered and turned to look at the dying flames, watching them as the danced silently, alone in the dark, my only company.


	28. Part Three, Chapter Twenty Eight

~Part Three ~ Afterthoughts~

~Chapter Twenty Eight~

There they were again, the soft sounds of a fire crackling welcoming me back into consciousness. I fought the sounds back trying to hold onto the last bits of sleep before I allowed the new day to begin. Opening one eye slowly, I found myself in a still dark cabin, the fire being the only source of light.

_Is it still night_, I wondered in the back of my half-conscious mind as I shifted in the chair, trying to get comfortable.

"Ah, so yer up already." I heard a voice say, but I was still too far asleep to remember to whom it belonged, so it caught me a bit off-guard. Taking a paw I tried to wipe the sleep from my eyes and usher in the new day.

"Yeah, I'm up . . ." I replied tiredly, blinking my eyes rapidly, trying to adjust to the bright light of the roaring fire. "What'd ye want?" Finally, as my vision cleared, I found the fox in a familiar position, hunched over the fireplace.

"Jus' makin' sure, Avel." Ryo replied, I knew even without looking that there was a grin on the fox's face, he seemed to get joy out pointless conversations. "Ye hungry? I want ta leave soon so ye best eat." Before I could respond I found a bowl of stew in front of me and I found myself doubting the fox's culinary skills since all he seemed to make to eat were stews. Shaking my head a little I dug into the stew, still only half-conscious, before I realized that the fox had said something more then a question.

"Wait. You want to leave soon? Where are we going?" I asked, glancing up from the bowl, a bit of the stew hanging from my cheek fur.

"Well, we 'ave ta take lil' Ismene home for one an' besides that . . ." Ryo paused for a moment, glancing towards the window before he continued. "We may as well take advantage of the break in the storm, ain't good fer a beast ta be cooped up this long. Should all go an' stretch our limbs a bit."

"Heh . . . ye best get a napkin for 'im first, Ryo." Before I could reply to the fox a young voice broke in and I found the young squirrel maid next to me, smiling up at me with her innocent eyes, pointing to the bits of stew hanging off my whisper.

"Aye, I s'pose I best give 'im one." Ryo smiled as he tossed me a little cloth to wipe my face with as I glared down at the small squirrel maid, a sour look on my face as she simply grinned up at me. Finally, her cute little grin wore me down and I broke into a small smile, chuckling a little at the now impossibly large grin upon the maid's face.

"So, how far is it?" I asked as I wiped a bit of the stew out of my cheek fur before starting on the rest of my meal.

"Shouldn't take too long, ain't too far away. Mebbe an hour if we 'ave ta deal with weather." Ryo replied with a shrug, sliding a bowl in front of Ismene who tore into the meal greedily, making an even bigger mess then I had.

"And you thought I needed a napkin . . ." I muttered as I finished off the stew, sliding the empty bowl to the middle of the table just as Ryo sat down, a steaming bowl of stew for himself in his paw.

"Hey, I heard that?" The maid retorted belatedly after she too had finished off her stew.

"Heard what?" I asked with an insincere look of confusion, leaning back in the chair, stretching out a few cramps that I had received from sleeping in it.

"Ye know what ye said!" Ismene threw back, raising her voice to what amounted to an annoyed squeak, narrowing her eyes as she glared at me.

"I assure you, I know nothing of what you speak." I replied sarcastically, bowing to the maid a bit.

"Aw . . .don't tease her, Avel." Ryo broke in before the squirrel maid could respond, shaking his head ruefully, eating his own stew slowly as he watched the two of us. The old fox sighed as we both silently tempted the other to start it up again.

"He ain't teasin' me, he's jus' bein' an idjit." Ismene stated, sticking her tongue out at me, I simply smiled in response, grinning at her toothily.

"C'mon, the both of ye are actin' like lil' dibbuns. Act yer ages." Ryo cried out as he finished up his stew. "Yew two ain't goin' ta kill one 'nother on the way are ye?"

"Nah, Ryo. We'll be fine." I answered for the both of us as I saw the small squirrel maid tense up, a smile plastered on her face as she nodded her head rapidly in response to the old fox's inquiry.

"I hope so." Ryo muttered as he rose from his chair, hobbling slightly he moved to a large armoire that stood next to the fireplace, just next to what served as the fox's kitchen. "We best be getting' ready now. Storm ain't goin' ta be waitin' for us much longer."

"Okay, sounds good." I replied, rising from my chair and moving to the bed where the fox had placed the objects that he had found me in.

"Avel?" Ryo called from across the cabin, turning to face the fox I found myself knocked back onto the bed by a pair of sturdy boots, followed by a few other articles of clothing.

"Teeheehee . . ." I heard Ismene giggle as I attempted to disentangle myself from the pile of clothes, sending a glare Ryo's way as soon as I could see him from beneath the pile.

"Ye best wear those unless ye want ta die out there. Those will be much warmer then what ye had." Ryo grinned as he glanced at me, already dressing himself in warm cloaks. Turning he tossed an armful of clothes in Ismene's direction as well, knocking her over into a chair and then it was my turn to laugh. "Ye best get on somethin' a bit warmer as well."

"Aw, Ryo, c'mon. I got 'ere all right with what I 'ad, why wouldn't I be able ta get back?" The young squirrel maid asked, a sour face on her face as she picked through the pile of drab looking clothing. I smiled at her question as I picked through my own pile, a warm cloak dyed a dark blue color, a pair of pants and a tunic as well as a pair of gloves, which looked to be fit for handling weaponry and the pair of sturdy black boots, looking like something from an army.

"I ain't goin' ta be arguin' wit ye, Ismene. Jus' wear 'em so I don't get yer mum after me hide . . .not again at least." Ryo replied with an exasperated sigh, seeming to remember some unpleasant incident from the past as the young maid grudgingly accepted her new clothes and slid into the drab gray cloaks the fox had provided.

"Thanks, Ryo." I muttered softly as I put on the clothes, they certainly were warmer then what I had had earlier; in fact they were quite nice feeling. They had the comfort of them having been broken-in long ago, probably by Ryo in his earlier years. "Hmm . . .wonder if I'll be needing that?" I murmured aloud, far too softly for Ryo or Ismene to have heard as I glanced down at the dagger, it was the one that Ryo had found stuck in me, my own blood still to be found upon its keen edge.

Wiping the crimson from the blade's edge, I admired the dagger. It was a truly beautifully crafted piece, if an instrument of death could be considered such. It was a long straight dagger, quite average save for the engraving done onto the steel of the blade, probably some foreign language I did not know. Embedded into the shining, silver hilt was a beautiful, gleaming emerald through which a bit of light could be seen. It was indeed a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It was intriguing to know that somebeast had abandoned it next to my corpse. In fact it was a bit puzzling.

"Avel, Whatcha looking at?" Ismene asked as she walked over towards me, breaking me out of the trance that I had fallen into, staring at the dagger intently.

"It's nothing." I lied, hiding the dagger in a pocket of my cloak, not wanting to show the maid for some reason. "Ryo, you ready?"

"I'm getting' there, jus' wait a tick." Came the fox's annoyed reply. I glanced over to find him struggling into a pair of boots, not having too much luck.

"Need a paw?" I asked, making my way over to the old fox with Ismene close on my tail, shadowing me perfectly.

"No, I'm perfectly fine." Ryo stated, gritting his teeth as he finally got a foot paw into one of the boots, repeating the process with the other, while Ismene and I watched, both of us trying not to laugh at the fox and his too small boots.

"Stubborn ain't ya?" I asked, grinning slyly.

"Aye, that I am an' ye best watch yer sass mouth, I ain't as old as I seem." The fox returned my grin just as slyly before he rose, moving over to the fireplace. "Best arm ourselves jus' in case somethin' 'appens." With that he took down a pair of sword, both medium sized, both in their own black sheaths. "Do ye know 'ow ta use one o' these?"

"Um . . .I'm not sure . . ." I answered with a sheepish grin, a little embarrassed to say something that sounded so stupid, especially in front of an young maid like Ismene.

"Ah yes . . .well, it ain't goin' ta be for much more than look hopefully. Young ferret like yerself should look strong enough ta defend a pair o' beasts." Ryo replied, handing me one of the swords along with the belt that went with it.

"Think I should take this too, Ryo?" I asked, removing the dagger from its hiding place and showing it to the fox. Eying it for a moment the fox glanced up at me before shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess ye could as sort of a keepsake, but I don't think ye'll be usin' it much." Ryo replied before he glancing up at the mantle, searching for a bit he turned back to me, a long dagger in his paw, complete with a sheath, which he promptly removed and tossed to me. "'Ere. This should do well enough."

"Yep, seems like it will." Sizing it up for a moment, I slipped my blade in to find that the dagger fit almost perfectly into the sheath, perhaps a half-inch of its blade spilling over the top of the sheath.

"S'pose we're all ready now, right?" Ryo asked, glancing from me to Ismene before motioning for us to follow him as he moved towards the cabin's door, grabbing a tall walking staff as he went. Nodding we both followed the old fox's lead, stepping out into the stillness of the newly fallen snow. It coated the landscape, leaving the entire world seemingly buried beneath. The sight of the lands leaving me with a peaceful feeling, I glanced all around. Glancing behind I found Ryo's home there, completely covered with snow, standing out of the snow like a small mountain.

"Wow . . ." I murmured, glancing around at all of the white, in awe of it as the new day's sun glistened off its surface. The world almost seemed to glow, the bright blue sky above contrasting sharply with the brilliant snow-covered landscape below.

"Aye, tis quite a sight. C'mon, we best get movin' before the storm comes back." Ryo muttered, pulling me away from the spot where I had been standing, staring at the land in amazement.

"This way." Ismene motioned for Ryo and I to follow as she bounded ahead through the snow, obviously knowing exactly where she was going. We spoke very little as we trekked through the snow, the trip turned out to be quite uneventful and pretty boring overall, though I thought the scenery was quite nice. Neither Ryo nor Ismene seemed to notice it though, I guessed that they had seen it all before season after season, but it was certainly a sight to behold for me.

~~~~~~

Soon enough we had reached Ismene's home, it was made out of a giant oak, glancing up I found a sort of tree house built onto the trees limbs, a warm glow coming from its window as we all stood at the squirrel maid's front door.

"Mum! Dad!" Ismene called up at the tree house while banging on the door with a small fist, from behind the door we could hear movement until after about a minute the door opened to reveal a weary looking squirrel, her fur sticking in all different directions.

"Ismene, you're back?" It wasn't the happy welcome that I would have expected from a mother being reunited with her daughter after such a dangerous storm had blown through, it was a question. The squirrel maiden seemed very tired, bags hanging under her eye, which seemed to blink tiredly.

"Aye, mum. An' I brought Ryo back 'ere wit 'is friend ta tell ye the news." Ismene replied, her young and joyful demeanor seemingly stripped away now that the maid was home with her family.

"Well, come in I s'pose." The squirrel glanced back and forth between Ryo and I, searching us with her eyes as she beckoned for us to enter with a paw, for reasons I didn't know I shuddered under the stare.

"Thank ye, Vera." Ryo bowed politely before entering the tree, I followed the old fox's lead and suddenly I found myself within the confines of the tree, staring up I though that it went on it infinity, a carved spiral stair case leading upwards.

"Follow me if ye will." Vera motioned for us to follow as she began to climb the stairs. I followed after Ryo, walking slowly, with Ismene bringing up the rear. Glancing at the 'walls' of the spiraling staircase, I found them to be covered in intricate carvings, pictures and words that were seemingly thrown around randomly, most likely revealing some ancient tale.

"How tall is this?" I wondered aloud, staring up the winding stairs, trying to find an end.

"We're jus' about there." Ismene replied from behind me, her voice seemed to be flat and emotionless, very unlike the maid I had known from the morning. Glancing back I found the maid walking slowly, a look of almost what appeared to be dread upon her face.

"An' 'ere we are." Just a moment later we stopped on the stairs as I heard Vera opening something above me, light spilling into the spiraling staircase from the squirrel's home. Stepping into Ismene's home I found that it was a lot more cramped then I would have thought, stockpiles of food were packed everywhere, they were definitely prepared for the winter. All of the furniture, most of it made right out of the tree, was in a single corner of the one room home and playing on the furniture was what must have been at least a dozen young squirrels, many of them still in their dibbunhood.

"Vera, who's that behind ye?" A gruff male voice asked and I glanced to my right to find a large squirrel standing their, his belt filled with weapons, one of his paws straying to what looked to be a rapier on his belt.

"It is jus' Ryo an' one of 'is friends, Harold. Ismene brought 'em back to tell us the news." Vera replied for us, her voice emotionless, but I could see fear in her eyes as she answered her husband's question.

"'Lo, Ryo. So what's the news?" The squirrel asked, his eyes narrowing as he glared in the old fox's direction, eying him warily.

"Do not worry, Harold, ye 'ave nothin' ta fear from yer child." Ryo responded in a reassuring voice, but somehow I doubted he had had the desired effect upon the squirrel, in fact, Harold almost seemed disappointed by the news.

"Ah . . .well I s'pose that tis good news." The squirrel lied before he waved a paw over to the mass of furniture where his children, a twisted representation of a smile on his face. "Ye best come in an' make yerselves comfortable."

"Thank ye, sir." Ryo nodded his thanks, moving over to sit on a bench, which already held three of the young squirrel's who just ignored the fox as they wrestled with each other over an acorn. I moved to join him, but Harold's paw stopped me when I was halfway there, he stared at me with cold eyes.

"What's yer name, ferret?" He demanded in a cold, calculating voice as his eyes searched me up and down, looking for something about me.

"My name's Avel, sir." I replied politely, backing away from the squirrel a step.

"Where are ye from, Avel?" Harold asked, his question once again in the same cold tone as I saw his paw stray once again to the rapier.

"I'm from the southlands, sir." I lied quickly, remembering Ismene's question from earlier, hoping that it would be enough to satisfy the squirrel. I found myself glancing over to Ryo, hoping for a bit of help, but he was busy with the family's dibbuns and Ismene didn't seem able to either, wherever she was.

"The southlands, eh? So where 'bouts there are ye from?" The squirrel asked, his voice seeming slightly colder if that were possible, his eyes burning with a sort of rage, I could see it building slowly. Luckily, before I could answer, Vera stepped in, separating her husband from me.

"Harold, that ain't anyway ta treat one of our guests an' ye know it." Vera stated, her voice matching her husband's as she pushed me away from him.

"They were on'y simple questions, Vera. They ain't goin' ta do 'im no 'arm . . ." He muttered in reply, defeated looking he sulked off towards the window, preceding to simply stare out it at the glistening snow scape below.

"I'm sorry fer my husband there . . .um . . ." She paused for a moment, searching for my name.

"Avel."

"Avel. It's jus' that he don't trust yer kind all that much, y'know ferrets an' weasels an' the like. Tis a small miracle that he even trusts, Ryo." Vera explained for a moment, her tone cheerful and kind, it was obvious that she was a good beast. The real miracle, or misfortune depending on how you look at it, was that she had wed a beast like her husband. Even in the few moments I had known them, that was an obvious fact.

"Is he always like that?" I asked, a little curious, hoping for some reason to present itself.

"No . . .he wasn't always, jus' been like that lately. Y'know with everything that's goin' on 'round these parts I'm pretty much surprised that he didn't kill you just then." As she spoke, a strange sort of smile appeared on her face, glancing over towards her husband. She shook head a little before continuing, the smile disappearing from her face. "So, ye must be tired from yer journey. Ye can sit of 'ere." She motioned for me to follow as she moved towards where Ryo sat, surrounded by her children as they played with one another.

"Don't worry, it wasn't too far from Ryo's place. I'm . . ." I began, but I was suddenly cut off by a loud knock on the main door to the home, it reverberated off the walls, silencing everybeast in the house.

"Wait 'ere for a minute." Vera told me and disappeared down the spiraling stairs, from below I could hear the door open, the echoes of voices wafting up the staircase and into the house. Moments later she came back up the stairs, a heavily armored otter right behind her. The otter was armed with a long sword and a shield bearing a strange looking crest, he carried an air of importance about him.

"A messenger." I heard Ryo whisper from behind me, his voice slightly worried as the otter's eyes glanced around the room, removing a small, tightly bound scroll from his belt. 

"I carry with me a decree from the great and noble Lord Viand ordering that all beasts of age within his kingdom report immediately to the castle for a council." The otter spoke clearly, professionally as he read off the scroll.

"A council?" Vera asked, her head cocked to one side, a confused look on her face as the otter rolled up the scroll, replacing it on his belt.

"Aye, 'e has called the council." The otter replied, lapsing into normal speech. "We've 'eard that 'e found out 'bout somebeast that escaped, somethin' about that prophecy that he's always goin' on about. Y'know, the chosen one an' all that." He explained, rolling his eyes slightly as he adjusted his armor a bit.

"The chosen one?" I asked, remembering what Ryo had said earlier about what would happen to a 'chosen one'.

"Yeah, if yer from 'round 'ere ye would know. Ye from the southlands?"

"Yeah . . ." I replied, wondering why the 'chosen one' was such a threat.

"Anyways, all of ye best get there. Ye ain't goin' ta survive the hunters once they sweep through. I best be goin'." The otter bowed politely and Vera led him sown the stairs, down below we could here the door slam shut and a moment later the squirrel maid was back.

"S'pose we best all get ready ta go." Harold said moodily, his expression dark as his toyed with his rapier and with those words everybeast seemed to scatter, getting ready. In the crowding I moved to Ryo's side.

"Who's this 'chosen one'?" I asked the fox in a soft voice.

"He's a very dangerous beast to Viand. Supposedly it is somebeast come back from the grave, somebeast he killed a long time ago." Ryo responded, shaking his head at the very notion of somebeast coming back from the dark forest, but I remembered the dreams that had plagued me since my awakening and I found myself hoping that the fears that I had would not be realized.


	29. Part Three, Chapter Twenty Nine

~Part Three ~ Afterthoughts~

~Chapter Twenty Nine~

"Dun be worried so much, Avel. Ye 'aven't got nothin' ta fear." Ryo told me reassuringly as we all trudged through the snow, bound for the castle of Lord Viand. We had been joined by what seemed to be hundreds of beasts, all of them making the pilgrimage, there were beasts of all types ranging from tiny infants to old, gray furred beasts.

"Do I look worried?" I actually wasn't sure, I thought that I had been masking it okay, but Ryo seemed to be one of those beasts that could just see through a beast.

"Mebbe not on the outside, but ye dun look like yer too sure of anything. Seems ta me that yer worried 'bout somethin', no?" Ryo asked, smiling at me, probably trying to reassure me somehow.

"I suppose . . ." I replied with a shrug, glancing around at the crows of beasts walking around us, all in the same direction. I found myself wondering what sort of beast Lord Viand was, but from what I saw around me it was obvious that he was a beast with a great sphere of influence over his lands.

"I'm sure you're at least as nervous as any other beast 'ere." Ryo muttered, the smile disappearing from his face as he spoke, replaced by a look of apprehension.

"Somethin' the matter, Ryo?" Ismene asked, appearing out of the crowds of beasts, still wearing the clothes that the fox had provided for her.

"Nah, it's nothin' worth worryin' 'bout." The fox replied with a smile at the maid who returned it happily.

"So, Ryo, how far away is this castle?" I asked as we had been walking for at least an hour or so and I had yet to see anything looming on the horizon as a castle surely would. In fact, the most I had seen on the journey so far was a few scattered homes and a whole lot of trees, all of it buried in snow, which had already begun to melt beneath the sun's glow.

"Shouldn't be too much further. You'll see the town when we're closer to it." Ryo explained, his breathing ragged, it was obvious that he wasn't doing all too well after walking for so long.

"You need any help, Ryo?" I asked, noticing the fox begging to lean heavily upon his walking staff.

"Nah, I'll be fine, jus' need a moment ta catch me breath." Ryo replied, stopping for a moment, taking out a small flask from his cloak.

"You sure?" He really didn't look all that well, his age was really showing as he breathed raggedly.

"Aye, I'll be fine." He said before taking a swig from the flask, probably ale of some sort, something to keep him warm in the cold winter air.

"Fine, but if I see you getting tired again, jus' don't argue." I muttered, waiting while the fox drank down the remainder of his drink, wondering if it would work.

"Aye, don't worry, I will." Ryo said, rolling his eyes at me as he started walking again, Ismene at his side.

"Ye best listen to 'im, Ryo." Ismene said with a smile as she shook her head at the fox. "Ye remember what 'appened the last time everybeast 'ad to go ta the castle don't ya?" The squirrel maid asked with a cruel smile on her face.

"Aye an' ye don't need ta be goin' 'bout bringin' that up again." Ryo sighed heavily, staring at the smug, little squirrel maid in contempt.

"Why? What happened?" I asked, a smile very similar to Ismene's on my face.

"He near walked 'imself ta death. Fainted dead away in the town, we 'ad ta carry 'im ta the castle infirmary." Ismene explained, grinning as she watched the fox blush beneath his fur in embarrassment, a bit of anger in Ryo's eyes.

"Fine, Ismene. Ye made yer point already, so lets jus' get there already." Ryo huffed impatiently, stalking off ahead of both Ismene and I.

"Aw, Ryo. Ye know I'm jus' kiddin' ye." Ismene called out as we both jogged up to join the fox. "We were both jus' kiddin', ain't that right, Avel?"

"Aye, were just passing the time. Y'know, to make the journey go faster. It's all in the name of the greater good." I replied, getting a small smile out of the old vulpine.

"Aye, an' it looks like yer thinkin' worked. There it is jus' ahead." Ryo smiled as he pointed a paw forward to the castle. It was absolutely huge, towering over the landscape, seeming to break the sky in two with its great peaks, even in the distance. We were on a hill overlooking Lord Viand's central lands, at the center of which was his grand Castle, a towering mountain of stone and glass it seemed, surrounded by an expansive town that must have had hundreds of buildings at least.

"Wow . . ." I whistled in amazement at the sheer size of it all, it was the biggest thing that I had ever seen, though that probably wasn't saying much.

"Big place, ain't it?" Ismene asked, staring up at the castle's peak. I simply nodded in response, rooted to the spot as I glanced at the castle and the surrounding town. "C'mon, we best get goin'." I shook myself out of my reverie as Ismene pulled at my sleeve, pulling me towards the town.

"Yeah . . ." I muttered, allowing the squirrel maid to lead me down the hill and into the town, glancing at the sign just for a moment. "Welcome to the town of Noonvale." I read off as we passed, the name was familiar sounding, it felt as though I had been there once before, but at the same time it was different, it was wrong.

"Pretty lil' town ain't it?" Ryo asked, his face emotionless as he walked beside Ismene and I, moving quicker now, seeming to be more energetic.

"That it is . . ." I replied, but that was really only a half-truth. It was giving me the creeps, rows of buildings lining the street, all of them empty, the streets filled with their inhabitants, all of them moving towards the castle in a great mass of bodies. As soon as we had descended from the top of the hill into the town we were swept up into the crowds, all of us moving as one. "Ryo? Ismene?" Suddenly I realized that I had been separated from my two friends, I found myself lost in the steady stream of the crowd.

"Ye lost, mate?" A voice asked from my left, I turned to find a tall otter walking next to me.

"No, it's jus' that I got . . ." I began, but the otter cut me off.

"Separated from yer friends." The otter finished my sentence for me, a friendly smile on his face. "I wouldn' worry 'bout it too much, ye'll see 'em up at the castle, jus' wait till we get there. Jus' stick wit me, ye'll be fine."

"Okay, thanks." I replied, faking a smile as I glanced through the crowds for any sign of Ryo or Ismene, but finding neither of them. Up ahead however I could see a giant gate and then the castle's outer wall, guarding it were a score or so archers who stood upon the ramparts, peering down into the crowds. 

"So, what's yer name?" The otter asked, trying to make some kind of idle chitchat with me, probably trying to take my mind off what was going on.

"It's Avel." I replied, glancing up at the castle again, now able to truly realize the size of it.

"Avel, that's an interestin' name. Mean anythin'?"

"Not as far as I know, it's just a name." I shrugged the question off, turning my attention to what was ahead of me as we crossed the threshold into the castle's courtyard, which may as well have been a small valley.

"Aye, an' what's in a name?" The otter said with a soft chuckle before sticking out his paw. "Name's Aren, how do ye do?"

"I'm doin' fine, Aren." I shook the otter's paw, smiling back at his friendliness. His name sounded familiar to me, I could have sworn I had heard of or known somebeast by that name. "So, how about your name. Does it mean anything?"

"Nothin' real special, me mum said she picked it out from a story. Used ta be the name of some heroic beast." Aren answered with a shrug, glancing around, as everybeast seemed to pile into the courtyards, the movement of the crowd suddenly ceasing.

"Why'd everybeast stop?" I asked, standing somewhere about halfway in between the outer and inner walls of the castle, glancing around at the crowd of almost annoyed looking beasts.

"We've all got ta be searched afore they let ye into the castle. Y'know, can't exactly let an assassin walk right into castle with 'is dagger an' all. Got ta 'ave some sort o' protection for the Lord." Aren explained and sure enough I could see beasts being searching at the top of the steps near the huge door into the castle, weapons being stripped from everybeast that went through. I found myself wondering if everybeast was armed, even the children seemed to carry daggers and knives, just as their elders did. I wondered what sort of town this was.

"They give 'em back, right?" I asked, my paw straying to my own dagger, it wasn't something that I wanted to lose; it was a clue after all.

"Yer weapons? Most o' the time yeah, but if ye 'ave somethin' real nice one o' the guards will probably steal it from the hold. Y'know, they'll 'lose' it." The otter rolled his eyes slightly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Think this is nice enough?" I wondered, unsheathing my dagger, holding it out before the otter. Aren took it, glancing it over for a moment, testing its balance before giving it back.

"Aye, if ye get that back I'm sure that pretty lil' stone ye got will be 'misplaced'." Aren pointed to the blue stone set into the dagger's hilt, shrugging his shoulders before continuing. "Ye can't really hide it tho. It'd jus' make ye look suspicious."

"Damn . . ." I cursed softly, quickly sheathing the dagger again, thinking a moment slipping it to the back of my waist so it was at least harder to find for the guards. It was worth a try. "What do you think they'd do if they miss it and find it later on in the castle?"

"Well, it ain't what I think will 'appen, first of all. Ye would be dead, quick execution for an attempted assassination. I've seen it happen before." Aren replied, a worried look on his face, as he shook his head 'no'.

"Viand's a bit paranoid ain't he?" I asked, grinning a little, trying to lighten the mood as it became more and more serious.

"Aye, that he is, no more then any other beast would be in 'is position. He is a bit o' a superstitious beast though. Believes in phantoms an' ghost an' all that, you've heard about the 'chosen one' story, right?" By now we had reached the bottom of the steps just before the guards' checkpoint, it was about a one-story flight, about twenty or so steps up to the castle entrance.

"Yeah, I heard a little 'bout it. Not all that much though, just that it's somebeast that was Viand had killed, back from the grave for revenge or something." I replied, the same thoughts from earlier resurfacing in my mind, the 'what if' staring me down on the inside. "What have you heard?"

"Well, ye got it right when ye said it was somebeast out for revenge that Viand killed, but I don't think ye got the right Viand. It's a beast that Viand the first killed, ours is Viand the fourth, 'is great grandson to whom the 'curse' fell." Aren began, his tone one of a beast that didn't believe in any of it.

"The 'curse'?" I wondered, curious about it since I wasn't exactly superstitious.

"Aye, supposedly in a battle Viand killed somebeast, a powerful magic beast." At this the otter rolled his eyes, shaking his head in amusement. "So now he's cursed fer doin' so an' that beast comes back ta haunt an' kill all of 'is descendants. So far everybeast seems ta believe it, since Viand an' 'is son an' 'is grandson all died under strange circumstance . . ."

"So it's coming true then?" I asked, hanging on the otters' every word.

"I suppose ye could say so, but I think it is jus' a whole bunch o' superstition. But then again, who knows, right?" Aren finished with a shrug as we reached the top couple of steps where the guards took everybeast two at a time through the process. There were about a dozen or so guards standing about, only two of them, a pair of squirrels, doing the actual searching.

"You two, come 'ere." One of the guards, a red furred male, pointed to both Aren and I, beckoning us both forwards to be searched, I moved up quickly, wanting to get over with. "Take off yer cloak."

"Aye." I muttered, removing the cloak and tossing it down onto the snow-soaked steps. The squirrel bent down, searching around my ankles for any sign of concealed weaponry.

"Take the boots off." I stared at the squirrel for moment before complying, passing the pair of boots to the squirrel, who glanced in both of them.

"Anybeast ever actually hide anything in those?" I wondered aloud, trying to lighten the mood a bit as I felt a cold shock from my foot paws being on the half-frozen ground.

"More often then ye would think, mate." The squirrel replied, handing the boots back to me, quickly I slipped them back on as the squirrel searched through my cloak. "Quite a few beasts tried it, never really know where ye can find 'em. I heard somebeast tried ta make it past with 'er dagger in 'er stomach."

"Ouch, that can't have ended very well." I replied, wincing at the thought of a beast doing that, wondering what sort of would be that desperate.

"Turn 'round." The squirrel ordered and I quickly complied, turning to face the crowd of beasts waiting impatiently on the steps for their turn. "An' what's this?" He wondered aloud as he lifted my dagger, along with its sheath, from my belt, glancing over my shoulder I watched his eyes go wide.

"Something wrong?" I asked, as I felt the fur on my neck begin to stand on end in fear, there was something wrong with that dagger and by the look on the squirrel's face, it was a major problem.

"You jus' stand there fer a moment." The squirrel commanded, all the calm gone from his voice, his tone suddenly cruel and to the point. With my eyes on him, the squirrel went to a pair of guards standing just beside the open doors to the castle, showing the blade off to them. A look of recognition passed over both of them and one of them, a tall, gray-furred fox, whispered something into the squirrel's ear, who just simply nodded.

"Is something the matter?" I called over to the guards as all three of them made their way over to me, all of them with their weapons out.

"Don't run." I heard somebeast whisper from behind me and I knew what was going to happen, I was either going to be taken away or killed. At the realization I took a step back, away from the guards who by now were well within range and without a second more of thought I turned to bolt.

"Halt!" A voice yelled out, but I didn't hear anything past it as I felt steel hit my skull, throwing me to the ground, my mind just barely clinging to consciousness after the blow.

_Don't run,_ The voice echoed in mind as I felt the walls of darkness fall around me, taking me from the conscious world into the dark world of the unconscious mind.

~~~~~~

_Run, you must run,_ It was a different voice now, a softer voice, it sounded like a gentle breeze. I opened my eyes to find myself on a hill, it was a late fall's night, the harvest moon hanging high in the sky as I stared down at a small town.

_Run now, do not stay, _The voice echoed again, it was pleading with me.

"Why?" I muttered aloud, my voice was distracted sounding, distant.

"Why what, Avel?" I spun around to find the ferret maid there once more, leaning over my shoulder, a gentle smile on his face.

"I'm not sure anymore." I replied awkwardly as the maid sat down beside my on the hill, staring down into the town, letting out a soft sigh.

"I know what ye mean . . .nothing seems to make sense anymore does it?" Sarah's tone was emotionless. She seemed to be reflecting back on something, but what it was I didn't know.

"Nope, nothing at all. Everything jus' seems to happen now . . .there's jus' no logic to it all, no pattern." I replied, putting a comforting paw around the maid's shoulders and I found myself wondering what I meant as we both sat in silence for a moment, staring up into the sky at the orange moon above.

"Avel?" Sarah murmured, breaking the silence as she leaned closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, Sarah?" I leaned closer to the maid, turning my head so that I could look upon her, sitting there beautifully in the moon's glow.

"It's not supposed to make sense." She muttered and suddenly, the whole world seemed to spin, breaking into a thousand pieces as I found myself in a new land, a new world.

_There is no sense here_, Her voice echoed in my mind as I found myself standing in a foreign land. It was most definitely not a place that I had been to before, that much I knew. I had found myself in the middle of a barren wasteland, a gray sky above the deserted lands, a great stone construct standing up before me, poking out of the earth.

"What?" I whispered, taking a cautious step towards the structure, it was an ancient structure. Its great wooden gates lay fallen, rotted and splintered upon the ground and through the opening I saw nothing, but darkness. "Hello!" I shouted into the gateway, inside I heard it echo for a moment or two, no reply coming from the construct.

_Truth lies within_, suddenly I heard her voice again, not from the abbey, but seemingly from everywhere at once. Spinning around I found nothing, but sky and earth for as far as I could see, the building was the only thing around. The fur on my neck stood straight up as I could feel the fear eating at me from the inside, shakily I took a few more steps towards the building, going only close enough to touch the black stone walls. They were cool to the touch, but obviously old and as I removed my paw from the stone a thick layer of ash came off the wall revealing red sandstone beneath.

"Help . . .me . . ." The fur on the back of my neck stood up straight once more as I heard a weak voice echoing from within the walls. Without thinking I walked quickly into the walls to find myself in what could have almost been an oasis in the desert, a gentle pond sat to my right, an orchard filled with fruits and vegetable to me left, the lawns were trimmed, everything seemed to be perfect.

"Hello?" I called out, but I found no answers, only surprise to find such a perfect place within the walls.

"Help . . ." The voice called out again, fainter this time, turning I glanced around the construct, it looked to be an abbey of some sort and suddenly I noticed something, I was locked in.

"What?" I stared at the door, it stood barring my exit where it had lain, fallen and rotted just moments before, a bar slide across it as a lock.

_Answers lie here_, I heard the voices inside my head again and I felt compelled to search for the voice, which had fallen silent once more. Moving slowly, I walked towards the main building of the abbey, a great tall building made of red sandstone, a giant bell tower parting the gray skies above. Suddenly, the abbey felt very familiar as I stared up at its stained glass window, all of it reminiscent of something I had seen, something recent.

"The vixen!" I suddenly came to the realization, the abbey was almost a mirror image of the building in which I had found Riala save for its color. I paused for a moment to think about it, one of my paws on the great doors that led into the abbey.

"Please . . .help . . .can't . . ." Snapped out of my shock, I quickly pushed open the heavy oak doors and stumbled into the hall to find it lit brightly. There were candles everywhere, lining the tables, the floors, the rafters and anywhere else that they could be placed save for a small aisle down the middle of the hall. Glancing around, I found that everything seemed to glow an eerie golden color except for the very end of the hall, which no light touched, slowly I moved down the center of the hall, staring at the rows and rows of fire on either side of me.

"Hello?" I shouted, cupping my paws around my muzzle, but I got no response, only the sound of my own vice, echoing off the abbey walls to answer me. Holding my cloaks and my tail close to my body lest they catch fire, I walked until I reached the light's border, where the darkness met the light and there seemed to be nothing more. Squinting I tried to find something, anything in the blackness before I got an idea and grabbed one of the nearby candles, holding it up to the shadows. "Anybeast there?" I muttered softly in confusion, my eyes going wide as I found myself staring down a seemingly bottomless chasm, the candle's light lost within the shadowy depths.

"No . . .don't . . .please . . .no . . ." It was the same voice, fragments of a one-sided conversation wafting up from the chasm, echoing softly throughout the hall. "Please . . . not again . . ." Now it came from the hall behind me, a soft breeze blowing from the direction of the voice, I could see the candles flickering beneath the wind out of the corner of my eye.

"Hello?" Turning slowly I found her there, standing just behind me, a strange gleam in her eyes. "Sarah?"

"No, Avel." She shook her head slowly as she moved to just inches before me.

"Then who?" I asked, confused by the maid. It was Sarah, but there was something different about her, the way she moved, she seemed to flow as if she were a liquid, her fur and eyes both gray.

"I am no one." She replied cryptically, placing one of her paws on my shoulder in a comforting gesture, but she had no warmth, her touch sending a cold shock through my body. She felt like death.

"What are you?" I demanded, shivering as I stared deep into her eyes, searching for an answer.

"I am merely a guide, dear Avel." Suddenly she seemed to disintegrate, her body collapsing into a wisp of fog.

"What?" I gasped as the fog began to collect behind me and I found her there once more, standing on nothingness, a creation of wind and fog. "What the hell?"

"Time to go, Avel." She said, a strange little smile appearing on her face and suddenly from behind me, I felt a pair of paws push me from behind, sending me downwards into the chasm. Then all was darkness once again, wind rushing over my body as I fell, her mocking voice following me from above. There was no light at the end; there was only darkness and nothing more.

~~~~~~

Consciousness found me quickly as I awoke with a start, my head throbbing painfully as I sat up from the cold stone floor. I found myself once again in darkness, but it was the darkness of reality, it was not the infinite black of my dreams. Glancing around, my eyes slowly beginning to adjust to the extremely low light, I found myself in a box, three cold stone walls surrounding me, a barred off opening my only source of light. It was a prison, the cold bars had already hit home and I was trapped.

_Welcome home, Avel . . ._


	30. Part Three, Chapter Thirty

~Part Three ~ Afterthoughts~

~Chapter Thirty~

I stood at the bars, my paws grasping the cold steel bars, testing their strength. I stared out into the hallway of the prison, as it stood there empty, built of stone and ash, the putrid smell of blood and rot wafting through the stale air. I felt alone there, lost in the dark corridors. Trapped there for reasons that I could not yet comprehend.

"Hello?" I called out into the hall, desperation seeping into my voice, but it merely echoed through the corridors, going unanswered. I felt weak, my fate was no longer something that I controlled. I was trapped in a cage, everything having been taken from me. All my clothes save for a pair of pants, any weapons and most of all, they had taken my freedom.

"Anybeast there?" I called out again, my hopes fading slowly as I dropped to my knees, giving up bit-by-bit on getting anything besides an eerie echo.

"Aye, there's somebeast 'ere all right an' they're tryin' ta get some sleep, thank ye very much . . ." A voice answered in a grumbling, annoyed tone, which reverberated against the walls.

"Hello?" I called out again, hoping that the beast wouldn't go back asleep.

"I ain't goin' ta get any sleep with you next door now am I?" From across the hallway I could hear whatever it was getting up, groaning heavily before it appeared at the bars of its cell. "Now why the heck did ya wake me up?" It looked like it was some sort of weasel or perhaps an otter or perhaps even a squirrel, I really couldn't tell in the dim lighting as it stood at the bars, mumbling irritably.

"I . . ." I tried to begin, but the beast cut me off, glaring at me from across the corridor with dull blue eyes that seemed to be dead, as if its life had been sucked away.

"You new 'ere or somethin'?" It asked, the annoyed tone gone from its voice.

"Yeah, my name's Avel." I replied, slightly confused by the change of tone.

"Name's Hale. What sort o' beast are ye?" The beasts asked, its eyes narrowing a bit.

"I'm a ferret, why?" I asked, wondering why it really mattered since it didn't really seem like information such as that could be useful, especially while we were trapped in separate cells.

"Ferret, eh? I'm a squirrel myself, so how's life goin' for ye?" Hale asked, his voice taking on a strange cheerful tone, as if the conversation were taking place out in a town square instead of in a dark prison corridor.

"Well . . .I'm in a cell right now so what do you think?" I replied sarcastically, glancing up and down the hall to find that we were both located towards the very end, a thick wooden door barring the exit about three or four cells down.

"I s'pose that that wouldn't' be too good. Can always be worse though, mate." The squirrel's cheerful tone seemed so out of place as I stared at the ragged creature, a twisted smile upon its face, eyes half closed.

"What's worse then this?"

"Well, ye could be in one of those cells." Hale pointed down to the cells closer to the door. "Those would be the death cells, that's where ye'd be if they were about ta execute ye. We ain't too far of though, see that line on the floor?" The squirrel pointed to a faded white line on the gray stone floor, which separated us from the 'death cells'.

"Yeah, I don't suppose that means we're safe though, does it?" I asked, tone dripping with sarcasm as I leaned heavily against the bar.

"Ye would be right there, mate." The squirrel answered with a chuckle. "But hey, ye never know, might get lucky an they'll release ye or at the very least give ye a visitor or two."

"So what are you in for?" I was curious, the squirrel didn't exactly seem like the type to be in a prison, but then again I wasn't really either.

"Me? Well, mostly jus' a misunderstanding. I wanted to kill Viand an' he didn't want me ta." Hale grinned, drumming his fingers against the bar in thought for a moment. "So what're you in 'ere fer?"

"That I wish I knew. They just pretty much knocked me out and tossed me here." I shrugged my shoulder, staring down the hall at the door, willing it silently to open and reveal somebeast that could get me free again. Not likely.

"Ah, so ye had a big misunderstandin', gotcha." The squirrel winked knowingly, grinning ear to ear, nodding his head slowly. "Well, mate. Now that I've entertained ye fer a while, I really must be getting' the cot groaning beneath his weight.

"Oh, okay. Well . . . g'night I suppose." I muttered, receiving the sounds of the squirrel's soft snores as a response. Turning away from the bars and looked at my new home, luckily by now my eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting and I could see the outlines of the different parts of the cell. In one corner of the cell stood the small cot where I had awakened, in the other a small table of some sort stood and halfway in between was a small hole in the wall, probably a toilet or something, a definite blessing.

With a soft sigh I collapsed onto the cot, staring up at the ceiling, staring into the shadows, searching for something. I wasn't sure what though, some sort of reassurance, some sort of help? I didn't know.

_Welcome home, Avel, _Familiar words in that same familiar voice, it echoed in my mind, haunting me.

_So this is home? Hm, homey._ I thought sarcastically, glancing around at the cell's meager furnishings, wondering about what to do. _Indeed what to do. There isn't anything much besides sleeping. . ._ That was out of the question though, the images of her face still etched into my memory. As much as I wanted to know more, I felt myself resisting it, fearing what the truth may hold. I stared at the darkness, watching the broken images of unconsciousness flicker through my mind as I searched them for clues, some semblance of a truth to behold. I didn't even realize it when I disappeared from the plains of the real and entered into the feared realms of the unconscious mind.

~~~~~~

_Truth, a construct of lies and mistruths, _A voice muttered, its meaning a mystery to me as I stood at the gate to the abbey once more, the black stones of its walls standing out against the desert of white. It was winter this time around and now the landscape was desolate tundra, an overcast sky above me, casting its eerie glow down upon me.

_Truth, a contradiction of beliefs,_ The voice muttered again as I stepped towards the abbey of darkness, I was in search of her once more, in search of some helpless beast that I did not know.

_Truth, an abstraction of the past,_ I stepped through the broken down gates to find myself once more in the oasis, green grasses in the middle of winter, fruits and vegetables growing ripe in the orchards. A small pond stood still, serene.

_Truth, the enemy of the self,_ The voice seemed to continue on relentlessly, but all I heard was nonsense, the ramblings of what may as well be a mad beast.

"Anybeast there?" I called out, stepping slowly towards the main building of the abbey as I had done so before.

_Truth, the dictation of the ruler,_ The voice was there to answer me this time, seemingly coming from my own head, voices from my soul or some such nonsense.

"Hello? Anybeast?" I called out once more, ignoring the voices, as they seemed to grow louder.

_Truth, your enemy and mine,_ I paused for a moment, my paw on the ancient wooden entrance in the hall, a shiver running down my spine. _I hate it, I don't care, I don't know. Why? Why?_

"Why what?" I muttered softly as the voices shifted, becoming more and more familiar, it was somebeast I knew, somebeast I had know from a long time ago.

_I can't do this, I won't do this, I just don't know . . ._ It was somebeast important, a vital creature; it was a beast of great influence upon me.

They'll kill me now, but I don't care anymore. They'll kill me now, but I don't care anymore. They'll kill me now, but I don't care anymore. They'll kill me now, but I don't care anymore. They'll kill me now, but I don't care anymore. They'll kill me now, but I don't care anymore . . . The voice rambled on in a ceaseless chanting, clouding my thoughts, I felt as though my head were about to burst, the voices had grown louder to an almost deafening volume. Then I realized it, I realized it was my own voice.

You can't know. Truth, contradiction of known and unknown, contradiction of self . . . With that the voices silenced, with the realization they left alone and lonely, an emptiness opening up inside of me, a confusion of myself.

"What does that mean?" I whispered, my paw holding my head, which throbbed from the verbal assault, pounding rhythmically against my skull. There was now answer this time, only a softly blowing breeze to accompany me as the headaches subsided.

What does it mean? I wondered, the question echoing in my mind, going unanswered as I pushed open the great wooden doors to the hall, stepping through the threshold to find myself there in the candle lit hall once more.

"Anybeast? Hello, anybeast there?" I could hear my voice echoing in the hall as I glanced around, hopeful for a glimpse of her once again. She had to be some sort of key, somebeast of high importance. Walking slowly and carefully I moved down the center aisle of the hall towards the infinite darkness at the end, but something was different now, no longer did the hall end with the pit.

"Please . . .somebeast . . .help me . . ." The pitiful wail that had haunted my previous nightmares was back, cutting through the stagnant air, coming from above me somehow. Soon I found myself at the end of the hall and I found myself with two choices, a small door to my right or a staircase to my left.

"Where are you?" I called up the stairs, hoping for a response.

"Help me . . .somebeast  . . .no more . . . please . . ." The wails continued, wafting down the stairs, the soft sounds of tears were an echoing whisper. Slowly I climbed up the stairs, the steps winding around a central column, spiraling upwards. "Help . . ." The echoes grew louder as I climbed, but then minutes began to pass and I found myself on the spiraling staircase still until, in a sort of desperation, I broke into a run, taking the steps three at a time. "Please . . .no . . . not that . . ." Still the stairs spiraled onwards, seemingly to infinity, but still I ran upwards, my lungs burning, leg muscles crying out for rest and finally a stair caught my footpad, dragging me to the ground. "No . . .Please no . . .no, no . . ." As I lay there, in a daze, the voices suddenly stopped and a bloodcurdling scream cut through the air, a tremor of fear coursing through my body at the horrible sound. It was not only a sound of pain; it was one of anguish and fear.

It was one of freedom, The voice was back once again, whispering softly in my mind and doing nothing besides confusing me further as I lay there, breathing raggedly. Suddenly, the shifted, twisting impossibly beneath me until I found myself face down in front of a tall, wooden door, light shining through the cracks in the frame.

"No . . . please not that . . ." The voice whispered softly, seemingly back from the grave, but then I realized that this was a different beast, still familiar, but it was somebeast else. It was a feminine voice I heard, crying softly, begging for mercy, begging for freedom. Struggling to rise, I got to my foot paws, leaning heavily against the door, still in a daze.

What is this? I wondered once again, pushing against the door, it barely budged an inch. I could see a bright light shining from within the room, using all my weight I pushed against the door again and it opened.

"No . . .no, oh please no!" The last word hung in the air, a piercing scream cutting through the air as I fell into room, collapsing hard onto the cold stone floor. A putrid smell filled my nostrils as I lay on the floor, staring at small trail of blood as it coursed towards me on the floor. I could feel the warm sticky blood as it ran onto my paw, staining my fur crimson.

This is truth, The voice echoed in my mind as I traced the trail of blood to its source, a shiver of terror coursing through me as I found her there, a thin red slice across her throat. Her lifeless eyes bore into me, her blood still pumping from the wound; the smell of her death was heavy in the air, choking me.

"No . . ." A raspy voice whispered, echoing eerily through the room, darkened by reality. Slowly I rose to all fours, crawling to the maid's side, placing a paw upon her chest as tears filled my eyes, I didn't know why, but something within me had broken in that moment, I felt freed and trapped within the same moment, unsure of reality.

"No, this can't be real, it can't be the truth. This isn't the past." I muttered, trying to deny the sight that lay before me, the coldness of her body, the absence of her breath. The absence of life. Glancing around I found myself in a dank, cramped room that smelled heavily of blood and vomit. All around the room there were bodies, dozens of them, slowly decomposing in the shadows.

"Why can't it be? What do you know of truth? Of the past?" A familiar voice questioned and suddenly I felt it, a pair of eyes staring at me from the shadows, burning a hole right through me.

"Who's there?" I demanded in a cold voice, rising shakily to my foot paws, turning to face the voice.

"You're nothing, but a naïve fool, Avel. You have no comprehension of what has happened, you cannot understand the nature of this." There in the shadows it waited, green eyes glowing from the black. They were familiar eyes, a familiar voice; it was another beast that I knew, one that I knew quite well.

"Who are you?" I demanded, taking a step towards the shadows, pools of blood swirling about my foot paws, suddenly the room felt cold.

"I am your truth, Avel." The voice replied, the eyes drawing nearer to me, the green orbs coming to within a few feet of me, the creature's identity still lost in the shadows. The air seemed to freeze as it took another step forward, coming into the light, revealing itself to be an adult ferret, a familiar looking beast. Bloodied slashes littered the ferret's face and neck, probably continuing downwards, hidden by it's black cloak.

"Who are you?" I demanded once again, staring into the ferret's eyes. In one paw it held a long dagger, stained crimson, blood still dripping from its keen edge. It was an executioner's blade.

"Can't tell can ye? I guess ye best look in a mirror sometime." The ferret replied with a smirk, raising the dagger up high for the strike. I stood there, frozen by some unknown force, staring into the ferret's eyes, realizing the familiarity.

It's me, I realized just as the blade sliced through the air and then the world twisted, it did a fade on me, the reality crumbling to nothingness as I found my way back to the conscious world.caught up on my nappin'." With that the squirrel disappeared into the shadows of his cell and I could hear 

~~~~~~

I awoke to find myself no longer in my cell, I could feel myself being dragged along roughly, chains binding my paws, a piece of black cloth blinding me, another strip of cloth binding my muzzle closed and a rope about my neck by which they pulled me along. The sounds of a pair of paw steps and of dragging filled the stale air, I could hear the soft breathing of the creatures that were dragging me through the halls, their destination unknown to me.

"Why couldn' 'e get one o' 'is other lackeys ta drag this 'round . . ." One of the beasts murmured, obviously annoyed at having to drag me.

"Aw, shut yer mouth an' jus' deal wit it. I'm tired o' hearing you whine an' complain 'bout stuff like this, Sid, I wish you'd jus' go back to the kitchens." Another muttered in response, an undertone of resentment in its voice.

"Y'know what? I wish that 'e would put me back there too, but 'e won't. Don't trust me near 'is food an' all that. Me thinks that 'e is getting' paranoid in 'is old age." The first voice, Sid, mused, a soft chuckle echoing in what I presumed to be a hallway.

"Aye, there ye would be right, but 'e 'as the right ta be. Look at 'ow 'is father an' grandfather went, wot d'ye think will 'appen to 'im." There was a slight pause in the conversation as I felt a paw turn me as we headed to the right, "C'mon, don't take a genius ta get it." The second voice cried, needling the first beast, I could imagine them in my mind, one of them grinning as the other rolled its eyes.

"Don't worry, mate, I got it all right. I'd be jus' as scared as 'e is if I had a history like that. I don't think that that's the only thing though . . ." Sid trailed off into silence as we hit a staircase and they dragged me over the stone steps, each one stabbing into my back painfully, bruising my tail.

"Wot do ye mean?" The second beast asked, confusion in his voice.

"Didn't you hear 'bout what the wolf said to 'im? Y'know, that mystic, Rikaaj?" Sid gossiped, his tone becoming more relaxed as we climbed higher.

"No I 'aven't, why? What did she say to 'im?" Sid's friend inquired, curiosity plainly obvious in his voice.

"She 'ad some sort of a prophecy for 'im, foretold 'is death an' everythin'. Said it'd be by a ferret's paw, so now 'e is scared ta death an' paranoid as all get out, I heard that 'e almost 'ad Sarah killed." Sid replied as the stairs finally ended as we took off down yet another hall.

"Sarah? 'Is own little daughter?" The second voice asked, shocked by the news. The maid's name was familiar, I knew that I had heard it before, but I didn't know where.

"Well, she is a ferret an' Viand's gone scared an' all. It's not as if he were killin' 'is own flesh and blood, but then again . . ." The two beasts silenced themselves as I heard a door being pushed open, the hinges squealing as we were admitted into the room. Beneath me I felt plush carpets taking the place of the cold stone of the hall and suddenly I felt myself being flung down on the floor cruelly.

"Take off the bindings." A new voice commanded and with a click my chains fell away. I felt a light breeze as a dagger removed the blindfold from my eyes as well as the bit of cloth that bound my muzzle. The brightness of the room blinded me temporarily as I lay on the floor, paws clasped over my eyes. "Get him to his foot paws."

"Yes, sir." One of the guards promptly complied, lifting me from the floor, helping me up to my foot paws and steadying me with one paw, the other presumably on a weapon. "C'mon, ferret, get yerself together."

"What's going on?" I asked the guard in a soft voice, blinking my eyes rapidly, trying to get used to something brighter then the absolute darkness that I had been in moments before.

"Your in the Lord's chambers, try ta show a bit o' respect fer 'is majesty an' stop blinkin' so damn much, it ain't good manners y'know." Shielding my eyes a bit I turned to look at the guard, it turned out to be a ferret like myself, but with dark brown fur, he held a small, short-sword at the ready, his eyes staring out in front of us. Following his gaze I found that I was in a giant chamber, the ceilings disappearing into darkness and hundreds f torches lighting up the cavernous hall, at the far end sat a ornate, wooden throne, surrounded by at least a dozen beasts. Upon the throne sat what looked to be an old pine marten, a graying cloak wrapped about it's shoulder, a silver crown resting upon its head as it stared down at me.

"Bring him forward." It was not the Lord that had been giving out the orders. It had been a tall weasel that stood just to the side of the throne, a spear clasped in its paw. Slowly I was led towards the great throne, staring around the room as I went. Every square inch of the walls were covered with some sort of decoration, ancient weapons, paintings and a great tapestry ringed the hall. Dotting the way, guards stood at attention against the walls, all of them armed and ready to be called at a moments notice. To try and assassinate a beast in a place would an assured death.

"Good luck, mate." The ferret that had been leading me stopped a few dozen feet from the throne, leaving my side as the marten lord's eyes bore into me from beneath an old, graying hood.

"So you are the ferret they caught, eh?" The Lord asked, his voice sounded almost like crinkling paper, it was obvious that he was a beast far out of his youthful seasons, teetering at the gates of the dark forest.

"Aye." I replied monosyllabically, staring up at the marten, trying to see beneath the lord's hood, but its features were lost in the shadow. "That would be me."

"And you do know why you are my prisoner, correct?" He asked, a strange undertone in the marten's voice, there was something else involved in this, it felt as though I was being tested.

"No, sir. I do not." I answered in a respectful tone, continuing to stare at the cloaked lord, wondering about the marten's intentions.

What do you want? I wondered silently, glancing to the sides of the throne where beasts sat, watching me intently, some bearing the chains of slavery while the others stood guard, weapons at the ready.

"You have been brought here before his lordship because you have been accused of attempting the assassination of Lord Viand." The weasel at the lord's side stated in a powerful, commanding voice, reciting the charge from a small piece of parchment he held in his paw.

"But, sir . . ." I began, but I was quickly cut off by a raised paw.

"You did not even dream of such things, I know, it's all been said before." Viand muttered, probably rolling his eyes beneath the cloak. "We have already found the true culprit and sent him straight to where he belongs." The marten drew his finger across his throat in the universal message, whoever the beast was, they were no longer breathing.

"Then why am I still here?" I asked, nervous of what the marten had planned.

"I am sure that you have already heard the news of Rikaaj's premonitions, then I'm sure that you already know the answer to your question." The marten stood up from the throne, moving with a seemingly liquid like appearance, reminiscent of the beast that haunted my nightmares, as though he were not flesh and blood, but was made of smoke and fog. ", But I am feeling a bit generous today. I will allow you to live in return for your services in a certain matter."

"Services?" I asked, a lump caught in my throat, wondering if this service would have anything to do with being a target for a firing squad.

"Yes. You're going to be my messenger to the Southern Frontiers. You're going to deliver a letter to the Southern Lord under the supervision of my best guards." At the wave of the paw two beasts emerged from the shadows, both of them dressed in a familiar black cloak, each of them armed. Both saluted the Lord before they stepped to my side. "I believe you two have already met." I turned to find that one of them had removed their hood, revealing the prisoner squirrel I had been across from earlier.

"You?" I wondered aloud, a bit shocked by this turn of events, I hadn't been suspect of the squirrel at all when I had talked to him.

"Aye, it would 'ave ta be me, mate. You didn't think they would throw ye in a cell wit' out some sort o' interrogation an' what better way." Hale smiled as he spoke, a sort of smug satisfaction on his face and in that moment I fantasized about basing his skull in with a large stone.

"And I will have to introduce my daughter to you." The marten spoke as the other guard removed its hood to reveal a familiar face; it was the ferret maid that had haunted me in dreams.

"My name is Sarah, I'll be keeping Hale in line." She spoke with a strange sort of smile on her face, different from the squirrels, much more sincere. I stood there, staring at the ferret maid, happy as well as in shock at the same time, it was like seeing a ghost, but I felt a strange sort of personal triumph at seeing her face in the real world, the true world. It felt as though I had been vindicated.

"Well, I shall give you time to think over my offer." The Lord motioned to the two guards, removing his own hood to reveal his ghastly features, the marten's head looked as though it were a skull, both eyes had been removed, leaving gaping black holes in their place. "Take him back." The marten ordered as he smiled eerily down at me, boring into me with his shadows, I stared until in a quick movement a spear butt crashed into the back of my skull and the world faded away to darkness.


	31. Part Three, Chapter Thirty One

Part Three Afterthoughts

Chapter Thirty One

_Take him back . . . _The marten's words hung in my mind for those first few moments as I awoke to find myself once again behind bars in the same familiar cell. There I was, all alone once again until they decided to let me out to deliver his letter. I sat there on the floor, unmoving, for what must have been an hour, wondering why they would need me to deliver a letter, the Lord obviously had enough beasts at his disposal.

"What am I? Special or something?" I whispered the question out loud, staring straight ahead at the cold stone side of the cell. Sighing heavily, I rose to my foot paws, head pounding and body aching as I allowed myself to collapse onto the pitiful cot.

_So . . .is this where a prison break is supposed to come in? _I wondered half hoping that the mere thought would bring on such an event. If only that were how the world worked. I waited for a moment, twisting my neck so that I could see the hall.

"Guess not." I whispered, collapsing back down into the cot, wondering how long they would leave me there to waste away.

_Probably till you're half dead and unable to do anything, but obey them. What would you expect? _A part of my mind said, surrendering to what was the reality of the situation while the other part came up with wild theories upon how freedom would come. _Nothing less._

Swinging my legs over the side of the cot I sat up and glanced around the cell, it was exactly the same as it had been when I had left it. It still stank of rot and urine, the smells saturating the air. I knew that I was probably in for a long, lonely wait, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to care about that. All I cared about was the 'why', it perplexed me and I kept thinking up wild theories, each less likely then the preceding as I sat with my head buried in my paws, trying to suppress the throbbing in my skull as it pounded away. It didn't go away, it felt as though it would never go away as I sat there on the edge of the bed, wishing for something. Perhaps an ending, perhaps a beginning, I wasn't sure.

_Ending, beginning . . . it's all the same isn't it?_

_Life, death, whatever . . ._

I must have fallen asleep because some number of hours later I awoke in the cot, everything was the same; everything was where it had been. Getting up slowly, I moved to the bars, trying to glance down the hall, hopeful to see anybeast wandering the halls. From somewhere up above I could hear faint echoes as beasts moved around in the halls, going about their business. Just down the hall I could see shadows moving in the small crack of light at the bottom and then it happened.

"Get to the wall! Quickly, everybeast!" Somebeast cried out and suddenly from behind the wall was a burst of movement. Panicked cries and the sounds of chaos echoed in the hallway.

"Hello?" I called out, wondering what was going on. It sounded as if there were a war going on outside, the screams and cries wafting through halls as I strained against the bar, trying to make out what was going on, the sounds of metal clashing against metal filling the air. "Anybeast?" I wondered aloud, nervous and relieved by the sounds of warfare, my mind turning up fantasies of escape, fantasies of death.

"Help! Somebeast!" Suddenly down the corridor came a shadow, a young ferret maid holding a shield behind her as she ran as if she were being pursued by all the demons of hell. She barely made it to my cell before she fell, a half dozen arrows sunk into her legs, crippling her. She fell to the ground, face twisted into a look of pain, dragging herself forward as she left a smear of blood upon the floor, still trying to defend herself with the shield.

"Get her already!" Somebeast down at the other end of the hall called, a volley of arrows falling at the order. The maid fell to the floor, her eyes staring into mine as they began to cloud over in death, an arrow sticking through her stomach.

"Help . . ." Her voice was a gurgle as she reached out with a single bloodied paw for me, calling out to me, pleading for some sort of help, but I stood where I was, backed into the corner of my cell out of fear. I shook my head at her, I couldn't help her, nobeast could, but she was cut short, an arrow sinking itself into her skull, mercifully putting her out of her misery. Softly I heard the door slam shut, the enemy had left. Slowly I made my way over to the bars of the cell, glancing down at the ferret's corpse, unable to comprehend it, but deep down I knew. I knew who she was.

"Sarah." I spoke her name softly.

_This can't be real, it isn't . . .it just can't . . ._

With that thought the world disappeared into the shadows.

I awoke suddenly with a start, sitting up straight in the cot, a cold sweat dampening my fur. The first thing I did was to glance was at the floor where the ferret maid had fallen, where her blood run onto the floor, where she had pleaded with me for help, but received nothing. I shuddered as I looked, I felt sick, but I knew it had only been a dream. Not reality, not a prophecy, not fate, it was just a dream. Falling back into the cot I tried to breath at a normal rate, it felt as though the air were thin, as though each breath were only half of what it was supposed to be. Glancing up I watched the ceiling, the shadows unmoving and still, I was alone. There was no beast there.

_How long has it been? A few days? A week? _It had to have been at least a week since they had thrown me back into the cell. There they had left me without food and only giving me water, they were barely tying to keep me alive. Throughout that week the dream repeated itself ceaselessly, torturing my mind with the look in her eyes, showing every angle and every view of it. The line between reality and the fantasy had blurred, I could no longer distinguish the real and the surreal.

_Dreams, reality, they're all the same, aren't they? _I lay there on the cot where I had been for at least the past two days, only moving when it was an absolute necessity, debating whether I was still alive or if this were some sort of private chamber of hell reserved for me. I almost felt special as I stared up a he ceiling, a smile on my face for no particular reason.

"Oh, they broke him all right . . ." A voice echoed in the back of my mind, but it seemed so far away that they weren't even words anymore, it was simple nonsense, nothing that concerned me. "Look, he doesn't even notice us 'ere talkin' an' all. Think they went a lil' overboard on 'im?"

"Nah, they know what they're doing. Remember what they did to that otter hey caught wanderin' 'round the upper chambers?" I turned my head slightly to find them there, a pair of ghosts in the shadows.

_Oh, is this the dream again? Is she to die again?_ I wondered, staring at the pair of ghosts as they stood chatting at the gate to my private hell, this was something new.

"Aye, they broke 'im fast all right, heard they got a whole faction down from 'im. Didn't they get away though?" The voice echoed as I stared at them, slowly they seemed to become something real, no longer mere phantoms of some other world.

"Yeah, but the trackers still got a few of them, an' we have him too. Not really sure who he's loyal to though . . ." The voice trailed off as a small click echoed, following by a loud squeal as the door swung open to admit the two figures into the cage.

"Bit o' a mystery, eh?" A pair of paws grabbed my shoulders, pulling me into a sitting position, but I felt none of it, my senses had long since numbed to reality. All that was left was simple emotions.

"Yeah. Damn, this ferret doesn't look too good, does he?"

"Looks like he's staring straight into the gates . . ." The voices seemed to take on a worried tone as the two figures blurred, reverting back into their ghostly forms as I struggled to keep my eyes open. "I think we had better get him to Viand quickly." With that the voices faded and the world turned back to a pleasant darkness, a comforting shadow wrapped around my vision, blocking out reality.

A splash of cold water woke me from my short nap as I found myself on the cold stone floor, two beasts standing over me. It was the ferret and the squirrel, both of them fully armed and clothed to travel through the snows. I noticed that the squirrel held an empty bucket, a mug grin upon his face as he bent down to look at me.

"Wakey, wakey, ferret. Time ta rise an' shine." He grinned as he spoke. Glancing around I found that we were in a small stone room that was well furnished, weapons littering the walls, probably an armory of some sort. "Get up on yer paws, ferret." Still only half-conscious I struggled to my foot paws, leaning heavily against the wall as I stared up tiredly at the squirrel, wondering if I was about to be beaten or something of the like.

"You ready to make a choice?" The ferret maid asked, leaning back against a rack of weaponry, most bows and other long-range weapons.

"What choice?" I asked in a tiny, hoarse voice that sounded as though it was speaking from the other side of the gates, I wondered what I looked like.

"Do you want to die or do you want to live?" She asked, walking over to me, standing me up straight so that she could look into my eyes, a slightly angry look gracing her features.

"To live?" It really wasn't an answer, I wanted to know what living entailed, but I doubt that I was to be allowed that knowledge either way. I could see the squirrel's paw on his blade; he was ready to use it at a moment's notice, almost eager to do so.

"Good choice ferret." With those 'kind' words the a sack him me straight in the face, knocking me to the ground again, it was a sack of clothes and supplies, what they had confiscated from me earlier, all save for the weapons, but that was to be expected. "Get dressed and get moving." The squirrel demanded, an unsavory grin upon his face, a paw always on his weapon.

Mere moments later I found myself outside in the bitter cold and I found myself able to see the sky for the first time in what felt like ages, but there was no time to take in the beauty as I felt a spear push me along, disallowing any stopping as I stumbled along.

"Keep it moving, ferret." The squirrel sneered.

"Yes, sir." I replied obediently, I had no fight in me, I hadn't even cared in the first place, I just wanted freedom. Freedom or death, but, of course, death was the feared choice.

"C'mon, we have a lot of ground to cover today." The ferret maid urged me on, even from the beginning she seemed to be the nicer of the pair, I had immediately taken a liking to her. Almost like a son trying to seek protection from the mother. I obeyed, stumbling onwards even though I was lacking all the energy to do so as we walked through the gate and into the town.

"Still early ain't it." The squirrel spoke softly, probably glancing around the town. I stood still, almost like a ghost town, nobeast was out, whether it was for the weather or whether it wasn't I didn't know, but from behind the windows I felt the eyes. Everybeast was watching us, they were nervous, I knew that much. I began to wonder if I was going to be executed or something of that nature, what if I was some sort of warning to the beasts of the town?

"Where are we going?" I asked in a weak voice, my question directed at Sarah.

"That's for us to know and for you to find out." She answered cryptically, smiling a small sort of grin at me.

"In other words, ferret." The squirrel began, jabbing the spear butt hard into my back to punctuate his words. "None o' yer business." He laughed heartily, pushing me on as we reached he very edge of the town.

"Don't worry." Sarah whispered softly.

_And so the journey begins . . . _Towards what however, I didn't know. _Is it death or was it life? Or is it something worse?_

(A/N: Well…to all um one or two people who are actually reading this that is probably it…if I ever decide to continue it'll probably be a long time from now. If you wish to complain, yell or curse me out please send them to AcousticalFerret (at) hotmail.com. If you want to know where this story was going then you should see my original story 'So Another Drop May Fall' on FP.com because that's going to follow a similar path. Apologies to the…um, probably two people who actually got this far. See ya 'round.)


	32. Part Three, Chapter Thirty Two

-Part Three- Afterthoughts-

-Chapter Thirty-Two-

The sands tore at our bodies as we marched, dust devils swirling about like vultures circling the soon to be dead. We trudged on, bent over, nearly kissing the earth as we walked, heads bowed to the elements. Any protection we wore was rendered useless by the ferocity of the winds, the sands flowing about us like liquid, seeping into any crevice it could find.

_Bastard winds…_

I cursed silently to myself, knowing that the thoughts were with my fellows as well. The dirt caked our bodies, sticking to the blood and sweat that permeated our fur. We all cursed the storm, but secretly we all knew that it was truly a blessing. The storm was but a delay, a small hill for the inevitable to crest before meeting destiny. We knew what our destiny was to be. Our lonely outpost could last only so long in the face of destiny. Truly, it would be a blessing to have the winds blow forever, but the creators have never intended such.

The sun, as obscured as it was by the sands, was at its peak when we arrived. The great stone castle looming over us, blocking the northern winds and allowing us refuge as we passed through the ancient archway.

"Thought we'd never make it 'ere…" a hare muttered from behind me as he shook the sands from the armors he wore.

"Aye, glad that Capn' knows 'is way 'round the desert," I replied softly, dumping my hat on the cracked stone floor of the courtyard.

"Ain't that the truth, we'd be stuck out in that thar desert fer eternity if'n we didn't have 'is sort of navigatory skills, wot!" the hare chuckled, unbuckling his clothing as we descended into the bunker that had been built into the castle's main building.

"'Ey, pipe down there, mates," an otter ahead of us whispered as we passed the infirmary by, the rows of beds were a disconcerting sight. The darkened rooms seemed to go on forever as crowded as they were. Some of the beds held the living, the corpses littering the edges of the confines, sheets covering them haphazardly, the smell of death and decay permeated the air.

"Almost fergot 'ow many there were…" I whispered, mostly to myself, the nearly omnipresent sounds of the dying causing my fur to stand on end. I stared at the healers as they darted about the haphazardly lit infirmary, their fur ragged and their eyes dull as the sprinted from bed to bed in their bloody garbs.

I don't believe that they were healers anymore—by their own or any other beast's admission—having been robbed of the opportunity to save anybeast by the lack of supplies and the shortage of space. The nearly dead would be comforted as they eased them into death's embrace on their way to the dark forest. Most of them were in a herb induced coma's, the only signs of life the involuntary moans of their fading flesh, minds thankfully released. A small minority of the beds contained those whom would survive, at least under normal circumstance. They stared back and as their eyes met my own I found myself looking away.

_Like looking into a damn mirror… _

_Damn the fates…_

If only our last mission had been something more worthwhile. Instead we were on a defensive mission. We were to wait for death rather than rushing to meet it upon the battlefield. A fair deal for anybeast whom wished to live on, but it seemed only a minor delay. We were not left with hope, but with anticipation.

"'Ey, Salus, thinking big thoughts there, matey?" the hare nudged me with a free elbow as we descended into the basement.

"No…just a few small one's…"

"Yer thinking 'bout your sister, ain't cha?"

"A little bit…" I replied, normally it would be at the forefront of my mind, but these days…

_Getting to ya, Sal, ain't it?_

"You shouldn't worry for her too much. They ought to be safe in the east," the hare stated, dopping his accent for the moment. I merely smirked, unconvinced by his words, "Look at it this way. They may be a cold bunch of bastards, but they're still logical. There isn't anything for them in the east, just desert and ocean."

"Believe me, Kith, I wish I knew, I wish I could believe, but the fate's have said otherwise, and time and time again our hopes are proven false," I hissed softly, a tiny flame of anger within me.

"Sal," the hare whispered back as we reached the bottom of the stairwell, "If we haven't hope, then we may as well lie down and die right here."

_Perhaps you're right, Kith…_

_Perhaps…_

I knew that hope dwelled within me still, that I still believed deep down that we would all be all right. I still hoped that everything could go back to the way it were, but even so, alongside hope was the knowledge that these were improbabilities at best. I found myself cursing my hopes for giving me light when I wished that I could simply fade away into the dark.

"All right, everybeast at attention," a smallish mouse called out into the relative quiet room, snapping me from my thoughts as he made his way to the front of the stage, "The commander is ready…"

_---_

_It has been a privilege to have served alongside you all, and whatever happens on the battlefield today, we can only hope that the course of history shall look kindly upon our cause._

With the commander's words still fresh in our minds, we departed from the sub-basement, spreading out within the castle for our last bit of freedom before the battle was to come. Sundown was the expectation, with the storms winding down and the sands no longer obscuring our position they would come. By the light of the moon the last would come.

_We can only hope that the course of history shall look kindly upon our cause._

Not exactly the most encouraging speech, nor the most stirring, but at the very least the commander had had the decency not to attempt to deceive us. This was a last ditch effort at best and at worst it was our final stand. I think that most of us accepted our fate, unwilling to admit to doing so, but although we still held onto those few scraps of hope, we knew. We knew well that this was the final mission. There were no plans, and no hopes beyond this.

"So, Sal," Kith muttered softly as he ran a paw idly across his weapon, sweeping the sand from its surface, "you ready fer all this?"

"No…" I answered in earnest, clutching my own weapon tightly, "but anybeast who says yes is a damned liar."

"Always the cheerful one, ain't ya?" the hare replied, the darkness in his eyes readily noticeable even as he put on his mask of cheer.

"Nah, mate, just being the realist…" I responded, turning from the hare to watch the sun dip further down towards the horizon.

---

It was quiet now, the sounds of battle having long since left the desert flats. A soft breeze whipped the sands about the corpses that littered the dunes. In the distance one could still see the dull flashes of light as the stragglers were slaughtered. Those whom could escape had done so, anybeast left was a prisoner of fate. Somewhere behind me a decision was being made, even as life slipped away from me, the stinging pain all that was left to feel as a dull nothingness swept over my senses. In some tiny piece of my mind, still left alive and cut off from the rest of my body as it went into shock, I knew the decision.

From behind the dune where my body lay there was a brilliant flash, the sky was lit aflame and in what was only a fraction of a second the desert was engulfed in a fire creation had never been meant to see.

They decided yes… 


End file.
